Torn between Sides
by phoenix catcher
Summary: Harry/Chris. Demon:Harry. Damien took over the life of Harry Potter, was adopted and then lost the Potters. When he finds out the truth of his existence he flees the Wizarding World and takes up the mantel of the Caete Ruin.
1. Overcoming

Torn Between Sides

Chapter 1; Overcoming

****

Wales - April 1981

Lily and James sobbed in shock over the cot of their dead baby. Harry James Potter had barely even entered this world before he had died. The birth had been complicated and nobody could have predicted that he would slip into death at the age of only eight months. Neither his mother or father could have done anything to prevent it but it still hurt them deeply. Lily knew that she'd have other chances to have a child but the loss off her first wounded her to the core.

James held his wife tightly even as his own tears mixed with her own. They'd have to tell Albus what had happened, the boy of the prophecy must have been Neville. They didn't notice as the darkly clad figure appeared behind them without a sound, nor did they notice that the air seemed to shimmer before he 'shimmered' into existence. Nor did they notice the baby wrapped securely in his arms.

"James and Lily Potter, I need your help and perhaps I can help you in return."

The two parents without a child turned to the figure in shock but only managed to stare at the child in his arms as confusion overtook them. Perhaps their lives with a child weren't over for the time being. If they couldn't save Harry then at least this child could be somewhere safe and be loved in his place, though they'd never forget their first born.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Surrey; England - July 30th 1997

Harry was having the worst summer of his life. Surprisingly said bad time didn't have anything to do with his relatives who seemed to simply be in shock from watching the news for an entire year that spoke of many attacks by a terrorist group that they knew was a Wizard. The fact that Harry had been given the role of saviour without asking for it seemed to make his Uncle Vernon treat him more respectfully.

The darkness in his eyes seemed to help matters though, they weren't simply emerald green anymore but a dark green that seemed to swallow the light. His facial features had been changing over the summer as well and that along with his changing body had almost had him writing to his friends for help but every time he would sit at his table to scribble out a note he would remember their attitude over the last year. Ever since their involvement in the Department of Mysteries they had avoided Harry like he had the plague.

They had gotten together officially and to start with they had just avoided him so that they could be together and Harry hadn't really had a problem with it since it meant he could analyse his own thoughts in peace and quiet but then they had avoided him regardless of whether they were doing things together or not. It was the same across the whole school and it had all started with a single moment, one witnessed only by a few but relived by the whole Order of the Phoenix from memories supplied by Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny and Luna. That moment when Harry was about to pick up the Prophecy Sphere with his name on it.

According to Dumbledore the only people that could touch those Spheres were the guardians of the Hall of Prophecy and the actual people mentioned in the prophecy but in that instant when his hand was about to touch it he had known that it wasn't for him. The fact that it had flown away from his touch had only served to seal his fate as rumour spread. Harry Potter wasn't the Chosen One, he wasn't the one destined to defeat Voldemort, he was simply a fraud.

He became a liar and an attention-seeking child in one night as rumour spread and nobody, not even his friends, seemed to realise that the Wizarding World had been calling him their saviour since long before he could speak or walk, let alone the fact that he had openly hated that position.

It was only further proof that the masses followed the few but that moment had defined Harry's own life into one of curiosity and confusion. If Dumbledore was not correct in his naming of Harry as the Chosen One did that mean Harry's parents had died for no reason, how had Harry been the only one to survive the Killing Curse if he was just an average nobody. No, Harry had decided, there was something strange about it and he wanted to know what it was.

In five minutes he'd be able to apparate away from here and start his quest to find out what that was. A year ago a boy who had recently seen his godfather die but still been a child with bright emerald eyes had entered this house dreading the thought of a summer alone but over a year he had changed into a dark and awe-inspiring young man with dark eyes that reminded nobody of his beloved mother.

Harry had written a brief letter that explained everything about his new position in the Wizarding World and left it on his side for his Aunt with a plea for her to not inform the Wizards of his departure and he had packed up everything he planned to keep. His school books were discarded, as were his school robes and anything else remotely robe like. The only things he still had on him were his wand, his money, his invisibility cloak, the Marauders Map and finally his faithful owl, Hedwig.

He sat on the edge of his bed waiting for that one moment when his life would firmly be in his own hands and slowly he watched as the clock hit twelve o'clock. Among the Magical World people are thought to be officially seventeen at exactly twelve o'clock because it is then that the magic in your body changes ever so slightly into that of an adult. It doesn't matter if you were actually born ten hours after that but because your mind knows that it is the day of your birth and because the magic in the air changes ever so slightly when the sun is at its furthest point from you it chooses then to react.

Harry didn't know when he had actually been born but as the local clock struck twelve he ceased to care. He had never felt anything like it. It wasn't pain though that made him collapse sideways onto his bed but a feeling of completeness, like gaping voids in his soul and magic were being filled while parts of him that should never have been his were forced from him and into the air.

In that instant Harry Potter no longer truly existed. Unknown to Harry the spells and rituals cast on him by his parents and his true father had been stripped from him in a complete act of defiance against the persona of Harry Potter that had been building for over a year. With the vision of the Saviour Harry Potter stripped from him, Harry no longer felt the need to be Harry Potter and his magic knew instinctively that his cover was no longer needed.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Ben Nevis; Scotland - July 31st 1997

Harry opened his eyes again to find himself on a rocky plain with fog spinning around him. He knew he was high up, perhaps higher than he had ever been before, even when on his broom but because of the fog he didn't really know where he was. There was a derelict structure shadowed in the distance but it looked ruined in the dim lighting of what Harry guessed was sunrise.

Somewhere along the line he had lost six hours and travelled at least three hundred miles since the nearest mountains to Harry were the Pennines in the North of England and he knew that this rocky location wasn't the Pennines. Harry put his hand in his pocket only to find that he was only wearing his tight black t-shirt and his pair of baggy black jeans. The only thing in his pocket of his jeans where his wand had been were ashes. He let them crumble through his hand in shock noting the slim pieces of paper and cloth in with the ashes.

Whatever it was that had happened had burnt up his wand, cloak and map. He fought against tears for a while as he tried to analyse what his next move should be. He obviously couldn't stay here so his only option was to go on with his plan. His first stop therefore was Diagon Alley and Gringotts Bank.

Harry focused on Apparating, thanking whoever had started Apparition that you didn't need a wand for it. After a few minutes of fruitlessly envisioning himself disappearing from this mountain and appearing in Diagon Alley he collapsed to the ground in frustration. He couldn't apparate.

He tried to calm himself but only got more frustrated, in this fog he'd only get himself killed attempting to scale the side of the cliff, especially if he couldn't find the right path down. He just needed to get to Diagon Alley.

"Damnit!" He swore. He was shocked however when his fist didn't meet the rocky floor as intended though and his voice echoed slightly as he felt like he was slithering through the apparition tube rather than being squeezed through it. The scenery blurred and the forms of Diagon Alley's shops appeared around him before coming into focus like a blurred TV resolving himself. "That definitely wasn't Apparating." Harry muttered to himself.

Too scared to analyse the impromptu method of transport he headed for the large white building open already regardless of the clock on its front that declared it to be five thirty-two in the morning. Harry started walking towards the Bank with a confident stride in the morning emptiness of the shopping town, a stride that he had never taken to before because people had always judged him, first as their saviour and then as a liar and fake. Harry's eyes scanned every knock of the alley looking for the first person that would cause him a problem and without realising it he found his fingers itching in anticipation of a fight.

He pushed the feeling aside violently and never realised that his fingers had tingled with fire for a instant as his fighting instincts came to the fore. He took the steps up to the Bank two at a time and opened the heavy doors as if they were wooden without realising it. All he knew was that he felt better than he had in months.

He walked up to a Goblin, one of many that were watching him suspiciously. Wizards barely ever came just to the bank and with the shops shut this early it was unlikely he was in Diagon Alley for anything more than the bank. They of course didn't realise that he had nowhere else to go that morning since he had found himself standing on the top of a mountain and nearly gotten stranded there.

"Can I help you?" The Goblin grumbled and Harry pulled his concentration back to the matter at hand.

"I'd like to take a look at my vault please." Harry declared with a small bow that seemed to only annoy the Goblin.

"Key please." The Goblin intoned in much the same tone as he had last spoken.

"I don't have one." Harry replied evenly and without surprise.

"Humph!" The Goblin sighed before pushing over a blank sheet of parchment. "Name on the top and then a drop of your blood please." The use of the word please in either of their questions were rather pointless with their tones though Harry half thought that the Goblin was enjoying this exchange as much as Harry was.

Harry signed the paper with Harry James Potter before dropping a droplet of blood onto the paper. What happened next shocked him as his blood seemed to force his name off of the parchment in a violent struggle between red blood and black ink. The Goblin sneered at him. The red blood began to write another name Damien Caete Ruin.

The sneer vanished form the Goblins face and he clicked his fingers and vanished the parchment from in front of Harry. "It seems as if I am not Harry Potter any longer." Harry said to the Goblin. "Who is Damien Caete Ruin?"

"According to your blood…you." The Goblin told him without malice this time. He snapped his fingers again and another Goblin appeared at his elbow. "Take Mr. Caete Ruin down to vault number 782."

The Goblin nodded before gesturing for Harry to follow. Harry did as he was told and soon they were flying along the tracks except this time Harry found himself able to follow the passages as they streaked passed and even read the numbers on the Vaults instead of just blurs of colours. They came to a halt shortly afterwards and the Goblin unlocked the door of vault 782 for him before getting back into the cart to wait.

Harry walked into the vault and had to let his eyes adjust to the low light though it surprised him that it didn't take that long. He was starting to get a headache. To start with he had travelled across the country and burnt up every magical on his person, and god only knew where Hedwig had gotten to, then he had transported himself back across the country with an unknown method of transport, then there was the whole rejection of the name he had always known and this new one that matched his blood and to top it off it seemed he had better reflexes if his vision in the tunnel was anything to go by and he could see better in the dark.

The Vault had in it a single iron chest with a letter on its top. Harry frowned before kneeling on the floor in front of both and lifting the letter off the top. He slit it open with his forefinger and pulled out the parchment inside.

****

Dear Harry,

This is a very hard letter for us to write but it will have to be as simple as we can make it to get everything across that you need. We only hope that we were alive long enough to explain this to you in person and if we weren't and you are discovering this on your own we hope that you do not grow to hate you.

Harry, you are not our real son. Harry James Potter died when you, and he, were eight months old. We were devastated by Harry's death and when your father, Darius came to us with a request to raise you as our own we accepted and placed you in the place of our own son.

We never viewed you as any lesser a son than Harry but Damien, for that is your true name, you must discover your own heritage before you are caught out by the changes. We hope to be able to prepare you for the change ourselves but we have set up this vault under your real name in case we are unable to.

Your father, Darius is the leader of the Order of the Caete Ruin, an order of powerful Demons who work directly for the leader of the Demons, the Source. While your father is a Demon and therefore so are you he had enough humanity in his to desire your survival. As he tells us he was sent to kill three girls who will grow up to be the most powerful of Wicca Witches in the world. He failed to bypass their guardian and had to hide you with us to prevent your destruction as well as his own.

As far as we know he is now what they call Vanquished. There is much more information in a book in the chest that comes with this letter but for now all you must know is the truth of the matter. You are not evil at heart like your father, your human upbringing will give you the ability to temper your need for violence, a temper that the other Demons do not have.

We placed a spell on you to make you look like our own son just before we buried him in Godric's Hollow. The Spell gave you Wizarding Powers but only temporarily. The spell will fade once you desire to return to your roots and the spell that has hidden Harry Potter's grave will fade with it. You will experience physical changes and magical ones. You will revert to your true appearance and lose the ability to control Wizarding Magic but your heart will remain intact.

Damien, our son, don't ever forget your heart even if you lose your emotions to this new world. Your father, Darius, saw your future as you fought beside a Wicca Witch and you loved him, an emotion that normal Demons cannot feel. Remember this and you will retain what makes you worthy of respecting.

With Love Lily Potter ne. Evans.

Harry dropped the letter in shock even after having to read it twice. A demon. He was a demon. What the hell was a demon and what the hell was his mother talking about…losing his heart and emotions? He reread the letter what could have been twenty times before finally folding it up into his pocket.

Harry tore open the chest and rifled through the few items. There was a book and a bag of normal money obviously meant to get him started but it seemed that the book was the only thing that he really needed. There was a mirror in the lid of the trunk and that caught the majority of his attention as he placed the book in his baggy jeans pocket along with the money.

The face that greeted him shocked him but still it seemed more right to him than his other face had ever done. His eyes were an almost black green that seemed to shine with their own light. His hair was still black but it was streaked with fine strands of dark red and silver. His facial features were sharper and to his surprise his scar was completely gone without a trace. As Harry reached out to shut the lid of the trunk for the final time something on his wrists caught his attention. On both of his wrist was an elaborate tattoo.

They spread up from his wrists only about two inches but they were the same colour of blood and seemed to scream for respect. They were identical except for colours. On each wrist was a diamond gem caught as if spinning but the one on his left wrist seemed to burn with an internal red flame whilst the one on his right burnt with green fire. He made a mental note to look them up in his new book and hoped that the 'guide book' had something interesting in it.

He walked back to the cart and rode it to the surface in silence until he brought up the subject of his other vault. "What happened to them?" He asked the Goblin.

"They are on hold. Since you are not a Wizard you are not allowed to open them though we have legal proof that Damien Caete Ruin is the last Potter and therefore it does belong to you." The Goblin frowned. "I don't know what you could do with it though, most of what's in it is useless without Wizarding Magic."

"Can I give it over to somebody else?" Harry asked.

"Not unless you died." The Goblin hinted rather obviously.

"Luckily Harry Potter is probably about to be declared dead." Harry turned to the goblin with a smirk. "I'd like to make a Will please."

"Follow me." The Goblin walked up to a desk and pulled a blank sheet of parchment from the table. "I would suggest keeping it simple." Harry nodded before taking the quill.

****

"I Harry Potter, being of sound mind and judgment hereby leave all that was rightfully in my possession before I legally died to Remus Lupin with the stipulation that none of the estate, financial or physical, can be used for anything other than Remus Lupin's desires. Specifically the whole of my possessions cannot be given in any part, directly or indirectly to Albus Dumbledore, any member of the Weasley family, Hermione Granger or any representatives working either directly or indirectly for them. I do however leave a sum of Remus Lupin's choice to Fred and George Weasley for the furthermost of their business under the same stipulations as mentioned above.

I hear do declare this to be legal and binding.

Harry James Potter."

Harry signed it and was glad that the Will didn't force his signature off again. The Goblin looked it over with a satisfied smirk that it would hold before he signed it as witness. Harry nodded to the Goblin before taking his leave.

He walked out into the bright early morning light and realised with a jolt that he had been inside of the Bank for over three hours, he must have spent more time in the vault than he had expected. He shrugged it off before strolling down the steps into the milling summer crowd of Wizards and Witches.

As he pushed his way through the crowd he realised that he hated these people, he wasn't just annoyed at them any longer, he was actually disgusted at being in their presence. They stank of cowards and hypocrites and he made his way through them as fast as he could with only the need to get into the Muggle World to keep him from killing them.

He paused and frowned at that thought, how had he suddenly gone from being disgusted by them and wanting to kill them. A phrase from his 'mothers' letter came to mind. **"Your human upbringing will give you the ability to temper your need for violence, a temper that the other Demons do not have."**

He forced himself to calm down and this time he noticed the coolness that overtook his hand, he hadn't even realised that it had felt warm. He stared passed his raised hand at a group of Hogwarts students and delved into his emotions to find the feeling of hate and disgust again and his emotions seemed to spread into the need to kill them. Obviously demons didn't bother hiding their hate, if they hated somebody then they simply killed them.

He gasped as his hand began to feel warm and a flash of fire seemed to appear above his upturned palm. He curled his hand instinctively and the ball of fire expanded into three rings of fire that spun around each other in a sphere. He started to panic at his new found Demonic power and before he realised it the fiery sphere vanished in a puff of smoke with nobody around him any the wiser.

He stared at the group of students again before shoving an eighteen year away from him and walking off towards the pub for access to the Muggle World, he made a mental note never to use that word again. Hopefully the book would explain the Demon and normal world better.

He spent the day walking around the city aimlessly looking for a place to stay and eventually he used some of his one thousand pounds to pay for a hotel room. He also brought himself a black leather trench coat to go with his already black ensemble since it went well with his rather strange hair and hid his new tattoos effectively since the sleeves were heavy enough to not slip if he moved his arms around. He also got himself a change of clothes in the form of a black set of combat trousers, two new black shirts and a red long sleeved button down shirt that had silver flames licking around the base. Sometimes walking around London in ominous black clothing was enough to get stopped by the police.

He settled into his small room and collapsed onto the bed with a long sigh of satisfaction, it was a long time since he had lain in a really comfortable bed and he was sorely tempted to just sleep the rest of the day and night away but he knew that he should really read the book he had been given.

He slipped it out of his jeans pocket and held it on his chest as he propped his head up on the headboard so that he could read it with little effort. He was about to read the first word when he felt the same feeling as when he had transported himself from the mountain top to London and he felt himself fall the two foot to a rocky ground of his early morning vista once again.

He groaned and pushed himself up onto his elbows and glanced around in surprise and a little annoyance. He frowned before concentrating on that feeling of hate and disgust he had felt for the Wizards and he held his hand out to the side with the sphere of fire floating above it as it expanded from just a spark.

The flames lit up the fog with a red and orange backlight and Harry could see the shadows of groups of people walking around. He focused on a few and it struck him that they were hikers wearing backpacks. Tourists obviously. Harry snuffed the fiery sphere by closing his hand into a fist knowing instinctively that it wouldn't hurt him.

"I didn't expect you to know how to summon a Fire Matrix yet but that is impressive, as was your first time Shimmering this morning." A cold voice spoke behind him making Harry jump around. "Its also good that you realise that you can't let the mortals see you using magic but still you shouldn't let down your guard so easily. They could have been an illusion."

"Who are you?" Harry asked with a suspicious look. The man was wearing black clothing as was Harry but he was wearing leather instead of more modern materials.

"Let's just say that I am an old friend of your fathers." The man told him.

"You're a Demon?" Harry asked bluntly noting that the tourists were completely ignoring them both.

"Of course." The Demon snorted before bowing dramatically. "Lucus at your service of the Order of Caete Ruin, diminished as we are."

"Damien." Harry told him.

"I know who you are, I used to fight alongside your father before that Witch killed him." He spat the word witch with the same disgust that Harry felt towards the Wizards and Witches of his old world but Harry knew that he was talking about Wicca Witches where both males and females were called Witches. "I swore an oath to your father to find you when you came into your powers and to train you to be a full member of the Order of Caete Ruin so that you could resume your rightful place in the Demonic World."

"Where's the book?" Harry asked with a frown.

"It was merely a device that brought you to where you needed to be, nothing more and now it has served its purpose." Lucus told him. "You shimmered so well this morning that it shouldn't be a problem for you to work this part out as well. Follow me."

With no more warning than that he vanished into the air as if he had simply faded into the air leaving only a shimmer of air to speak of where he had been. Harry snarled quite vocally before he forced himself to focus on the magic that had lingered there. He found it and found that feeling of that morning when he had slid through that tube and soon found himself following the path before him.

It was a longer journey than he had taken that morning or just a few minutes ago and when he focused on reappearing in front of Lucus he found himself in a cavern deep underground. "Congratulations. I had expected to have to come back to get you several times. At least this training wont take nearly as long to accomplish as I thought."

Harry noted the bitter tone underlying the Demon's words and filed it away for future reference. "Where are we?" Harry asked to change the subject.

"We are in what is called the Underworld. Physically you could say that it is around four hundred metres below the surface of the planet in various places but it is also half in this world and half out." Lucus lectured. "It is the home to most Demons, a few live on the surface among the mortals but the greater powers remain here to maintain control."

"Where is this?" Harry gestured at the chamber.

"We are within one of the rooms of the old Temple of the Order of Caete Ruin underneath San Francisco. Not even the remains of the Order use this place for more than formal meetings." Lucus explained. "We're using it since only somebody with one of these can enter without an invitation."

Lucus bared his arms to Harry and the identical diamond enclosed fires on his arms. "What do they mean?"

"They symbolise unbreakable power." Lucus gloated, "They are a symbol that will gain you respect from any Demon though you shouldn't abuse them. Now we had best get comfortable and I will tell you about the Order."

The story was long and Harry didn't really see the point in it rather than just a time waster but he did gleam some interesting points from it. The Order were revered as the most powerful league of Demons in the Underworld and had once ruled before they were taken over by the Source of all Evil and made to serve him as assassins to keep his position. Since the Sources defeat two years ago the surviving members had taken to their own goals. Their legend was known throughout the Underworld but few members were ever seen especially since they had refused to join the last Source who had risen and fallen in a matter of a year.

Harry was more eager to pay attention to his powers that he knew he barely had control over and he wasn't disappointed when Lucus changed the subject to Demonic powers. "Most Demons have fireball powers and shimmering as their main powers. Some upper level Demons have what are called Energy Balls which are more powerful and then above that is the Fire Matrixes that you wield. I myself use Energy Balls."

"So I'm more powerful than most?" Harry asked.

"Then almost all but be careful that you remember that power isn't everything, you are younger than most and even much weaker demons can overcome you with a lucky shot." Lucus told him and Harry didn't miss the lingering threat in his words. "According to your father you should possess the ability to create illusions like I do in addition to your fire matrixes and Shimmering. You should also be able to sense magic like you did in order to follow my Shimmer trail. Your father also said that you were a telepath but since I know little of that you will have to work it out for yourself."

Harry nodded obediently knowing that he wanted to start with his more active powers and Lucus seemed to agree. "We had best get your dangerous powers under control first. First of all you need to realise that your powers are emotion based. Once you learn the triggers it is easy to yield them. I'm only going to teach you how to access your magic, learning the skill needed is up to you."

Harry nodded and their training began.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Two months later

Harry stood in silence in the centre of the main chamber of the Order of Caete Ruin with his mentor behind him. He had trained under the supervision of Lucus for two months and could now fully control his powers, though Lucus didn't realise that whilst honing his powers that Lucus knew about he had honed his others too. Most important was that of telepathy. Whilst meditating to sense magic both in the Underworld and on the surface he had accidentally connected with a Darklighter's mind. It had been painful to remember since the Darklighter had been stabbed moments later but Harry had gotten a taste for the ability and had honed it ever since. He had also discovered a certain talent for telekinesis, an advancement of his telepathy but he hadn't been able to practice it under Lucus' scrutiny.

It was because of his telepathy that he now had a mental fortress that rivalled the best and knew Lucus' intentions long before the Demon walked silently up behind Harry. Lucus was only helping him because he owed Darius an oath that would kill him if he didn't complete it but now that Harry could easily be called fully trained Lucus planned to stab him with an Athame and steal his powers. Something that Harry didn't really think was fair since he had only just become a Demon and hadn't had any fun yet.

A Fire Matrix appeared above Harry's hand and just as Lucus tried to plunge the knife into Harry's back Harry twisted to the side and Lucus stumbled straight into the Fire Matrix. Lucus was vanquished in an instant with a horrified look on his face as he fireballed outwards as the force of his own power was released. "Pity." Harry muttered, "Now I don't have anyone to practice on."

Harry smirked thinking that he could probably just go capture a Witch to practice his skills on and just before he shimmered out he thought about what he used to be like with his pointless and ridiculous notion that he had to save people that couldn't help themselves. Times had changed.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Six months later

Harry lingered in the back of the crowd of Demons with his hood over his head. Six months of mercenary work had led him to this moment. His ultimate revenge on the Wizarding World. He had visited the Wizarding World several times over the six months since he had ventured out into the world but it was only this time that he had snuck into a meeting being held by a group of thirty Demons.

They were currently discussing the worth of assisting Voldemort in a raid on the Wizarding shopping district of Diagon Alley. "Why should we do such a thing? What is there for us to gain?" A low level Demon in the front called out.

Harry sighed and began to walk towards the front allowing the others to part for him as they sensed his power, he was easily the most powerful there. "Why not?" He asked loud enough for all of them to here. "It's as good a reason as any to kill."

"But why should be risk getting killed for a mortal?" The Demon asked loudly again.

"Don't risk getting killed for a mortal then." Harry raised his sleeve to show the tattoo of the Order of Caete Ruin. "Risk it for me."

There was a wave of muttering, the Underworld was leaderless at the moment, and it was well known that if a leader was to rise it was equally possible to come out of the remnants of the Order of Caete Ruin as it was to come from anywhere else. The chance to get into this Demon's good books was too good to pass up.

"What times does the attack begin?" Harry asked the group.

"In a few minutes." One of the told him, he didn't much care who they are. He paused as he carefully looked over the heads at them all and reaching into his magic to sense if there were any surprises among them that he should be aware of but found nothing but their numerous different abilities. There definitely wasn't any upper level Demons there.

"Let's go then." Harry shimmered out of the cavern leaving them all to follow hurriedly in their own way.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Halliwell Manor

"Are you sure you saw sticks firing light beams?" Chris asked in surprise as he finished listening to Phoebe's explanation of her dream to her family. She nodded.

"Spill it Chris!" Piper ordered their neurotic Whitelighter. He'd just spilled the beans on the fact that her baby son was the future of all Evil and she wasn't at all pleased with him regardless of the sympathy she felt for him because of his fiancé's recent death.

"They're called Wizards." He told them. "I knew a few in the future but there wasn't much left of their world. Supposedly a lot of them died in a battle that hasn't happened yet between them and the Demonic World and it crippled their world." Chris lectured.

"So we should help them?" Phoebe asked. "I mean they were being slaughtered. We have to do something."

"Against that many attackers?" Paige frowned. "Didn't you say that some of the _Wizards_ were attacking each other."

"I got the premonition for a reason so I have to do something even if it is just to save an innocent." Phoebe pointed out.

"But did you see a specific death that you think you should prevent?" Leo asked from where he held Wyatt.

"Well no, there were just so many." Phoebe said.

"Well if we're going we need the most powerful potions you have." Chris told them seriously.

"We need to hurry, whatever we have ready will have to do." The three sisters scrambled for the potions on the table in the centre of the attic as Phoebe spoke.

"Leo, can you look after Wyatt for me?" Piper asked.

"Of course." Leo gave Chris a warning look to express the pain he would be in if anything happened to them. "I'll take him up there so I can tell the others about this." He vanished into a pillar of orbs which filtered up through the ceiling.

"Ok, try to dodge the spells…er…light beams but especially don't get anywhere close to any green ones because they'll kill you instantly and you can't block them." Chris told them before grabbing Piper's hand and preparing to orb across the world. "Just focus on the Demons and let the Wizards fight it out."

The others nodded with pale looks and he orbed out with Piper whilst Paige followed with Phoebe.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Diagon Alley

Harry had to admit that he was enjoying himself immensely as he sent a fire matrix into the potions supplier and watched as the warding collapsed and the building exploded outwards as the fire ignited the potions ingredients. The five Wizards taking cover in the front of the store were swallowed by the flames as well as the four Death Eaters closest.

His hood was still up as he stood in the centre of the chaos not far from Voldemort and his inner circle of two silver masked Death Eaters. He spotted a mop of red hair in the crowd of 'light' Wizards and smirked gleefully before leaving a fire matrix to float beside his head as he reached up and slowly lowered his hood to his shoulders so that the smoky light could reach his face.

The Demons and himself had materialised all throughout the battle which had evidently been going on for half an hour or so and had surprised and horrified the 'light' Wizards as they started burning anything and anybody in reach by throwing fire out of the hands not to mention the numerous other attacks throughout the street.

Harry watched from a distance as Albus Dumbledore managed to kill one of the Demons with a bolt of magic that actually smoked as it left his wand and Harry watched as another fell from a combined barrage of spells from where Neville, Ron and Hermione stood.

Harry gestured to a group of Demons and they shimmered over to him in an instant. "Bring me those four, preferably without their wands." Whereas the Demons had thus far been more bothered with general destruction they were much more dangerous if they went for a particular person with all their might as in this case.

Two of them were killed by Albus during the struggle but the other five subdued the four of them and shimmered to Harry's side. Harry glanced at Voldemort with a small lift of his eyebrow and the Wizard started to make his way to them. Harry dismissed the other Demons carelessly and they shimmered away from the peaceful section of the battle field.

"I don't know why you are having trouble with these ones, Voldemort. With the exception of the old man they seem rather weak." Harry smirked as Ron bolted forwards with his hand going for a second wand. Harry lifted his own hand and a fire matrix appeared and leapt towards him. Ron back-pedalled and found the fire matrix hanging in front of his nose. "Tut Tut mortal. Learn your place."

He listened with half a heart as Voldemort bragged about their deaths as he stared at Neville with a sneer. The boy didn't want to be the Saviour anymore than he did and Harry knew through his telepathy that he would much rather be with his plants than here. Ron and Hermione just wanted to be in the spotlight and fighting beside the saviour meant that if Neville got lucky they could take some of the credit.

He met Albus' eye at one point and rather brutally shoved the man's mind away from him sending the man onto his hands and knees in pain. "Stay out of my mind, mortal."

"See the power of my new allies, old fool!" Voldemort bragged. "It's a shame really that you wont live to see them burn through your beloved ministry in my name."

He was interrupted from saying more as Harry caught sight of two orb trails appearing to his right. Four figures appeared from them and his Demons stopped fighting to stare at them. "The Charmed Ones!" One yelled before four of his Demons launched fireballs at them. Harry turned his side to his captives for a moment to watch his four Demons as two exploded to a power and the other two were killed by potions. The only male in the group set another group of Death Eaters and Demons back with a strong wave of telekinesis.

"Who are they?" Voldemort growled out.

"Wicca Witches, our enemies. I'm not worried about them though." Harry spun back to his captives after nodding to a few Demons that had lingered near him. They shimmered out and the remaining fifteen Demons vanished leaving only Harry behind. "I told you I would fight your enemies but not my own."

Voldemort growled as he saw potions strike two of his Death Eaters burning them to a crisp in an instant. "What are you still doing here then?" Hermione asked him with disgust.

"Keep that mouth of your closed." Harry growled back. "I'm still here because watching Wicca Witches killing Wizards is amusing."

"Stop them!" Voldemort yelled at him as Harry made no attempt to protect his Death Eaters from the Wicca Witches.

"Why?" Harry ducked a curse from Voldemort but the distraction cost Voldemort as Dumbledore grabbed at Ron's spare wand still on the floor and jumped to his feet. Voldemort turned his attention back to Dumbledore and a duel started.

Harry in the meantime was keeping an eye on Neville, Ron and Hermione all the while watching as the Charmed Ones got closer to him. There were very few Death Eaters left and Harry found himself respecting their magic if not their position as Good Witches.

A movement out of the corner of his eye made him raise his left hand to stop a stray curse from Dumbledore. A Fire Matrix took care of the spell and another flick up his hand had Dumbledore, Neville, Ron and Hermione hanging in the air by their throats. Voldemort took the opportunity to send a Killing Curse at Dumbledore. In an instant Harry decided that he would let Voldemort take his revenge since he planned to kill Dumbledore here anyway.

The spell hit the old Wizard in the chest and he collapsed to the ground as Harry released him. The screams and cries of the winning 'light' Wizard were enough to make Harry smile and the entire fight came to a grinding halt as the Wicca Witches joined them in their circle of peace.

Voldemort moved to kill the three still strung up but Harry sent his wand skittering across the ground and away from them. "You Wizards are so pathetic." Harry laughed loudly as he spoke, he knew he had the attention of all there but he had yet to turn to fully face the Wicca Witches now that they were close enough to actually see him. He released the three captives and they began drawing in air as fast as possible.

"Do you really think that Demons would serve you, Voldemort?" Harry smirked as he turned to face the Wizard that had killed his adoptive parents. A fire Matrix appeared in front of him and a second joined it.

"No!" He ignored the cry from one of the Wicca Witches and sent the two Fire Matrix barrelling into the Dark Lord obliterating him from existence in an instant.

Harry chuckled as he turned back to face the three ex-friends who had been joined by the four Wicca Witches. He could sense Whitelighter blood in the young man and also one of the Charmed Ones but he had already known about her. A gasp of recognition exploded from the man's mouth as he stared at Harry.

"Step away from them, Charmed Ones and I wont have to kill you too." Harry told them.

"Phoebe, I think you better do what he says." The man told her as he tried to grab her hand with his own, probably to attempt to orb her out.

"What!?" Phoebe almost rounded on the man at this suggestion and Harry took the opportunity. He gestured with two of his fingers and all four of the standing adults were sent backwards onto the ground.

"Like I said, I am not your enemy and you don't want to be allies to these traitors here either." Harry spoke as he gestured again and Neville, Ron and Hermione were raised up bodily. They stared at him in panic as they tried to free themselves.

"Who are you?" Phoebe gasped as she stood up.

"You don't want to know." The man muttered under his breath but Harry heard him all the same.

"How do you know me?" Harry asked in irritation. "I have never met you."

A small smirk appeared on one of the other witch's lips. "But I bet you will right?"

The man nodded but Harry cut any more chatter off. "Enough of this, I have things to do here and if you don't leave now then I might change my mind about what to do with you four."

Harry raised his hand and a fire matrix appeared over his open hand. "No!" Phoebe yelled out again.

"Phoebe! No!" The man cried out in horror. Everything happened in an instant, Phoebe threw a potion at Harry to stop him from killing the trio and the young man leapt at her to orb her away. Harry jerked his hand to the side and the fire matrix flew sideways and exploded as it hit the potion vial.

Harry swung his other hand around and the trio went flying through the wall of the nearest building as his telekinetic powers sent the vials thrown by the other two sisters to the side where they struck two 'light' Wizards in the chest consuming them both in flames. Harry sent Phoebe jerking backwards with another wave of telekinetic power and was about to send a Fire Matrix to kill her when the young man jumped in between them.

"That wont stop me." Harry pointed out as another Fire Matrix appeared over his hand.

"You're not like this in the future." The man told him. "You wouldn't kill her then and I'm asking you to let us leave now. We wont come looking for you. I promise."

Harry snuffed out the magic by closing his fist. "I'll let you go this once but only because I'm not interesting in you four." Harry glanced at the other two. "Leave now before I change my mind."

The four of them burst into orbs as the two part Whitelighters took the other two away with them. Harry glanced around at the shocked 'light' Wizards and sneered. They watched their leader die at his hands then they watched their greatest enemy fall to the same Demon and suddenly they can no longer fight even though there were more than a hundred of them and only one of him.

He sent a Fire Matrix straight at the doors of Olivander's wands before shimmering away feeling the huge explosion that resulted in so many wands being burnt in one instant.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Halliwell Manor

The three sisters fell onto the sofa of the attic with very pale faces. Chris leaned against the wall in shock as his thoughts gained control over his body and he began to rethink his decision not to attack Damien in this time.

"Leo!" Piper called out making Chris come back into reality. Leo appeared in the middle of the room with Wyatt in his arms and instantly gave him to Piper.

"What happened?" Leo asked.

"Nothing good." Phoebe sighed as she pulled herself up. "I think we need to find out who that was."

"Who?" Leo asked.

"The Demon that just tossed us around like we'd only been practicing magic for a year." Paige told him rather sarcastically. "He was leading a group of Demons but as soon as we killed a few he sent them away and ignored us. It wasn't until Phoebe threw a potion at him that he attacked us."

"Wait!" Leo held up his hands. "Perhaps you'd better start from the beginning."

"We arrived in London and the Demons attacked us. We killed a few before Chris started directing us up to the top of the road where there was a lull in the fighting." Piper started. "After a while we noticed the Demons' Leader sending the others away and we only had to face the Wizards as we battled our way up to the top."

"This demented looking Wizard was fighting a Wizard he called Dumbledore but it didn't seem like either of them were winning. The Demon was just standing there without a care watching the fight around us as we tried to get up there." Paige told them. "We arrived just as the Demon strung the old Wizard and three children up by their throats and let, Voldemort I think he was called, kill the old man."

"The Demon stopped Voldemort from killing the children though and after laughing in his face about Demons not serving Wizards he sent two Fire Matrixes into Voldemort and killed him." Phoebe took over. "We tried to help the three younger Wizards but the Demon just warned us away before sending us flying. He strung them up again and was about to kill them so I threw a potion at him. He destroyed it before sending me flying."

"Are you ok?" Leo suddenly interrupted.

"Yeah, Chris talked him out of killing me." Phoebe nodded. "Wait how did you do that?"

"You sounded like you knew him." Piper glared suspiciously. "I think your exact words were 'You're not like this in the future. You wouldn't kill her then and I'm asking you not to now.' You promised we wouldn't go after him."

The four rounded on him but he just shrugged though he was obviously covering something up. He walked to the Book of Shadows and opened it to a page about three quarters of the way through. "The Demon is a member of the Order of Caete Ruin."

Leo went very pale and gasped and the three sisters turned to look at him in confusion. Leo decided to explain. "The Order of Caete Ruin were a group made up of the most powerful Demons in the Underworld. Now it is a bare remnant but anyone that can claim their heritage is a Demon you're better off running from unless all three of you are ready for him."

"So we need a Power of Three spell to kill him?" Piper asked.

"No!" Chris told them rather involuntarily. "He isn't Evil in the future and if you attack him you might prevent him from turning Good."

"He's a Demon, Chris."

Chris sighed before sagging ever so slightly. "He was born in 1980 and was raised as a Wizard until he came into his Demonic Powers in 1997."

"He's only seventeen?" Piper frowned remembering how he had thrown them around.

"Age doesn't mean anything to Demonic Powers just the experience you gain. If he's Caete Ruin then he'll have had training." Leo told them. "Even so I think you should Vanquish him as soon as possible."

"You can't!" Chris told them. "He spent twenty years Evil but he never came after the Charmed Ones. We became friends in the future because he was against Wyatt's rule over the Demons. If you make a move against him while he's Evil he'll come after you for revenge."

"Revenge for what?" Phoebe frowned as she caught his words.

"Because this is his father." Chris sighed before spinning the pedestal. "Vanquished by Penny Halliwell just after Damien was born. At the moment he is too busy with destroying the Wizards to come looking to avenge him and according to my timeline by the time he finishes with them he wont care about you but if you provoke him he just might."

"Even so, Chris…" Phoebe started.

"No, Phoebe." Chris interrupted her. "He has some good in him from his upbringing."

"Perhaps we should try to work on his good side then and turn him good now?" Piper suggested.

"I don't like it." Leo stated. "We got an alert about a large explosion in London a few seconds before you called me. His last attack killed over a hundred Wizards and has started a fire in the normal parts of London."

Chris sighed before orbing away knowing that they wouldn't listen to him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

End Chapter


	2. Fighting Emotion

Torn between Worlds

Chapter 2; Fighting Emotion

****

The Temple

Damien sat on the table in the centre of the room as his listened with his mind to the events around him. He'd done a few jobs for himself in the last few months but his main purpose for the last two months was finding out who this half-Whitelighter was and in his studies he had learnt something of interest even if he had failed with what he wanted to know.

The Charmed Ones grandmother had been the one to kill two of the remaining six Demons of the Order of Caete Ruin which included his father. After that he had been added to the total to make it five but when he was younger one more was killed, then another when Cole Turner had killed him for refusing to help him when he was trying to become the Source. He himself had killed a third and now there was only himself and one other of their Order.

It had taken him a long time to track down the final member but had found him working as a District Attorney on the surface but he hadn't contacted him. He could probably sense that the Temple was alive again and would investigate eventually anyway. The greater matter on his mind at the moment was whether to avenge his father or to deal with the Wizarding World. He'd let them stew and battle between themselves lately but he knew that he'd need to step in and do some serious damage in order to completely destroy their world.

He'd also made a reputation for himself in the Underworld, not as a member of Caete Ruin but as a high level Demon that would show up when the Demons worked together for a purpose and his help would inevitably win them the battle.

His head jerked up from his telepathic meditation as he felt something of interest in the Underworld. An Elder, one of the leaders of Good had just orbed into Damien's lair outside of the Temple. He kept two lairs in the Underground. This one which was protected to all but Vinarus, the DA, and another set that the Demons knew of that the high level Demon used. He actually spent most of his time in the other one but used these chambers to meditate since he couldn't be snuck up on.

He shimmered to his own rooms and gazed slowly around the rooms searching for the Elder he knew was still there. He could smell the Good magic on him. "I know you're here, Elder, I sensed your arrival."

"Agree to a truce and I will reveal myself." The voice came from every corner at once.

"Reveal yourself or I will destroy this entire cavern and you along with it." Damien wasn't lying, he would do it. There was a few seconds as the Elder toyed with the idea but Damien won out as the Elder appeared before him with a black glow. "Better. Now what do you want?"

"As I said, a truce." The Elder told him.

"And why would an Elder want a truce with a lowly Demon?" Damien asked with a smirk.

"A member of the Order of Caete Ruin is hardly a lowly Demon." The Elder retorted.

"You are trying my patience, Elder." Damien snapped not liking that the Elder knew who he was.

"I want your help." The Elder told him.

"With what?" Damien asked intrigued with what one of the leaders of Good would want help from him for.

"I need to gain the help of the Darklighters but they will not answer to me directly." The Elder told him before swooping across his lair to a table and leaning against it.

"Why would an Elder need the Darklighters' help except to kill a Whitelighter?" Damien asked.

"It is for the Greater Good." The Elder told him and Damien felt his eyebrows rise.

"Why would the Greater Good concern me?"

"Even if killing a Whitelighter isn't good enough for you, I have been led to believe that you are not as Evil as you claim to be." The Elder smirked at him.

"Would you like to test that claim, Elder?" Damien snapped and with a click of his fingers a Fire Matrix appeared beside his head. He was about to carry out his threat when something nagged at him. Nobody would claim that he was Good, the only one deluded enough for that was the half-Whitelighter that he was trying to find out information about and this Elder obviously knew him. "Interesting, it seems we can come to an arrangement."

The Elder looked confused as the Fire Matrix snuffed out seemingly on its own accord. "I'm afraid I've lost you." He admitted.

"Information is the best of goods I find." Damien smirked at him. "I want to know everything you know about this half-Whitelighter that seems to know so much about me and in return I will set the Darklighters onto this task of yours."

"You are confident that you will be able to command them?" The Elder asked suspiciously.

"They will obey me eventually." Damien was unconcerned.

"Very well. His name is Christopher. He claims to have come from the future to prevent the eldest Charmed One's son from turning Evil. To change his future for Good." The Elder explained. "I know little about his personal history but he has already changed the future by saving Paige."

"And his interest in myself?" Damien asked.

"I know little about that apart from his assurance to the others that in the future you help him and are Good."

"An idiotic fantasy." Damien was satisfied with the information. "Now what is it you need the Darklighters to do."

"I need them to attack and kill Leo."

"An Elder?" Damien frowned, "The one who is protecting the Charmed Ones?" The Elder nodded. "That's suicide. They'll never be able to kill him."

"That's why we need to separate them." The Elder told him before launching into his plan to trap Leo in the Ghostly plain with a Darklighter so that he was powerless. The Charmed Ones would be more inclined to accept his death and Leo would be gone.

"You still have not told me _why_ you want him dead." Damien told him.

"He is a threat." Was the Elders reply without elaborating.

"That's no problem to me." Damien smirked thinking that this would go a long way to getting his revenge for his father's death and watched as the Elder orbed away though the fact that one Elder wanted to kill another, especially one related to the greatest force of Good on Earth still intrigued him. He shrugged and shimmered away to begin the plan.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Darklighter forge

Damien watched from the shadows as the chosen Darklighter appeared from black orbs and collapsed against a column with one of his own arrows stuck in him. The plan had obviously worked.

"Remember we're not here to hunt the Charmed Ones, only the Elder." One of them yelled to the others. "And only long enough for the trap to spring."

Damien shimmered out with them as they all orbed out ten minutes later once their own was healed.

He reappeared on the top of a building overlooking an alley. The only reason he was watching this was his curiosity over why the Elder wanted Leo dead overwise he would have ignored the whole thing after passing on his orders. The Darklighters had followed his plan simply for the chance to kill an Elder and to gain ground in Damien's good books.

He watched as the minutes turned into an hour before a black minivan pulled up out the front and the Charmed Ones stepped out along with the Elder who had obvious fallen for the trap to protect his son, who he thought was under attack. The trap went off without a hitch except for the fact that instead of the portal swallowing just Leo it took Piper Halliwell with it.

He shimmered back to his Lair and didn't have to wait long for the Elder to join him. "The portal took Piper with it as well!" He snapped.

"I did see that for myself, Elder, but thank you for explaining it to me." Damien smirked at his pacing form. "This just means that you'll have to find a way to distract the remaining sisters before they find a way to contact Piper."

The Elder snapped his head up to him. "Order the Darklighters to attack the Charmed Ones, not to kill of course, just to keep them busy."

"I did what you wanted." Damien smirked. "This will cost you extra."

"What!?" The Elder rounded on him.

"Don't worry, my price is just as cheap as it was before." Damien rose an eyebrow. "Why do you want Leo out of the way?"

"Because he is a threat." The Elder snapped.

"Not good enough, Elder." Damien shook his head and pretended to start to shimmer away.

"Wait!" The Elder snapped and Damien let himself reappear. "To get him out of the way so I can kill his son."

"Wyatt?" Damien frowned. "Why would an Elder want to kill the most powerful witch in existence?"

"To stop him from turning Evil." The Elder explained.

"That's not a very big incentive for me to help you now is it." Damien chuckled.

"He's just as likely to turn Good and neither of us can afford either to happen." The Elder pointed out. "And according to Chris, you and Wyatt are at war in his future. You don't want him alive even if he does turn Evil."

"And this is the same Chris that believes I am Good in the future?" Damien muttered sarcastically. "Perhaps time travel does screw with your mind. Very well I will send the Darklighters to distract the sisters but they will not do it for long."

The Elder orbed out and Damien shimmered to the Darklighters' forge again. He appeared in front of their leader. "You screwed up." He told them bluntly.

"We didn't know how the portal would react!" The Darklighter argued.

Damien raised his hand in front of him before flipping it open. A Fire Matrix appeared there and the Darklighter shut up and cowered rather contritely. "This just means that you have more work to do. The remaining sisters will not accept the loss of a sister as easily as that of the Elder. You must distract them until it is done or until you cannot distract them for any longer."

"Yes, My Lord." The Darklighter nodded before calling for them all and orbing out. Damien shook his head before shimmering out to return to the Temple so he could watch the attack telepathically. As the hours ticked by it got more interesting as the half-Whitelighter called Chris began to fade from his senses until after the portal was reversed and he reappeared as bright on Damien's senses as any other. Definitely intriguing.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Six months later

Damien stood before his own grave with a wondering expression. This was where the real Harry Potter lay, the one that was only a baby and had given his life so that Damien could have one, as much of a waste of time as that had been. He waved his hand over the grave and instantly the stone cleaned itself up and the grass trimmed itself. Truly Harry Potter was now well and truly dead and now the Wizarding World would finally pay for their final mistake.

Over the last four months he had built such an army of Demons that he was reputably the leader of the Underworld though none knew him as Damien, the upper level Demon. They only knew that they were following a coalition of two Caete Ruin Demons who had completely wiped out the resistance to their position. They had bided their time knowing that the Demons wouldn't all follow them to destroy the Wizarding World without proper incentive.

Vinarus was simply happy to reek some destruction and when the Wizards intruded on the British Underworld they gave Damien and Vinarus what they wanted. An excuse to wipe them from existence.

They would attack Hogwarts and the Wizards would flock to defend it and they would die trying to save their children. But Damien wasn't going to kill their children, they would be left until they either served the Demonic World or they chose to resist in the future and died. Any adults would be killed on sight.

Damien shimmered out and reappeared on the hills surrounding Hogsmeade town, the gateway to Hogwarts. He focused and sent out a massive wave of telepathic power visible to even the Elders on their thrones and undoubtedly to a few Witches as well. The sound of shimmering, blinking, fire travel, slipping and a hundred other types of travel met his ears as the hills filled with thousands of Demons of all levels even upper level ones though they generally appeared around Damien and the newly arrived Vinarus.

"You know the rules, kill any adults you find but leave the children unless they attack." Damien spoke loudly before summoning a Fire Matrix. He poured magic into it and it doubled in size. The Demons around him stepped away slightly as they felt the heat from it. Vinarus summoned a Fire Matrix of his own and together they threw them into the town half a mile away.

A few seconds later the darkness was obliterated as two towers of smoke and fire burst from two of the buildings. One was Honeydukes sweats shop and the other was the Three Broomsticks filled with their patrons whether they were adults or children. Damien waited back with the upper level Demons as the other two thousand Demons shimmered out of existence. An instant later screams filled the air as more fires spread through the town below them.

"Leave them to be the distraction. They will draw the Wizarding Forces and decimate them." Damien held up his hand under his cloak to stall the other upper level Demons. "We have the school to destroy. Follow me."

He shimmered away and Vinarus and the other hooded Demons followed him straight through the anti-apparition wards and into the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Screams filled the air as Damien turned slightly and waved his hand. The doors slammed shut and Damien turned back to the front where the professors were pointing their wands at him.

The absence of Albus Dumbledore made Damien laugh and it filled every corner of the room. It wasn't an evil laugh at all and he saw some of the Wizards relax. He couldn't let them do that.

He summoned a Fire Matrix and threw it into the centre of the table. Three of the professors were caught in the explosion as it splintered the table and threw them into the wall. The upper level demons did most of the work for him killing any of the professors that attacked them and even the ones that hid. The children that hadn't been in the village hid in huddles and were only killed if they attacked any of the Demons. Before long even they realised this and stopped trying to fight. Damien found it pitiful. If he had still been here as Harry Potter he would have fought to his last breath to save them.

Foolish if you think about it but brave and commendable in itself. He turned and left the school even as flames started to spread into the other halls and classrooms. Children fled from him and Vinarus as they made their way across the lawn leaving the other Demons to sweep the school and steadily destroy it. Leaving only enough time for the fastest of the students to escape. Damien laughed knowing that Ron and Hermione, in their last year would be the first to try to escape but he hadn't bothered to search for them. He couldn't be bothered with them but he would kill them if they ever came before him again.

They were just leaving the school when white orbs appeared before them. Vinarus threw a fire matrix instantly but the person dove to the side to avoid it. Damien chuckled as he recognised the half-Whitelighter in amusement. Before he could comment though another set of orbs appeared and the Charmed Ones stood before them. Vinarus charged another Fire Matrix but Damien just raised a hand to stall him.

"I much prefer this scenery over our last encounter's backdrop." Damien told them as he lowered his hood so that they could recognise him. "Though the last time was fun."

"How could you kill all these children?" Phoebe spat though it was obviously rhetorical, she could probably feel all of the pain that the Wizards were suffering. A series of cracks echoed from about quarter of a mile away and Damien raised his hand. A Fire Matrix appeared and the Charmed Ones readied themselves to dodge it but instead of shooting it at them Damien simply fired it up into the sky before detonating it. It exploded like a thunderclap.

Vinarus paused as he tilted his head, still hidden under a hood, to listen. "They have answered and our moving to combat them."

"Them?" Chris frowned.

"The Wizarding Aurors. I plan on completely wiping them out before the night's end." Damien shrugged.

"With what?" Piper raised her hands.

"With the two thousand lower level Demons within the town waiting in ambush. There won't be anything left of the Wizarding Government by morning after we back track their apparition signatures straight into their ministry." Damien told them simply.

"We can't let you kill them!" Piper announced before flicking her hands. Damien cried out in pain as his shoulder took the impact of her exploding magic but there was no more damage then a bruise as his own magic rose without prompting to protect him. "He didn't explode!"

"He's an upper level Demon, Piper!" Chris reminded her. Damien snarled at them all before clicking his fingers a summoning a small Fire Matrix, he flung it across the way but detonated it before it reached them sending a concussion wave that blew them all backwards.

"I was wondering why you weren't here earlier, but then I realised." Damien smirked as the four pushed themselves up to standing. "You, unlike them, knew that I would be here, you knew that I have the vast majority of the Underworld here following _my_ orders and you didn't want them to come here and get themselves killed trying to stop me."

Chris' eyes widened and Damien made a dismissive gesture with his hand to Vinarus who was only too happy to shimmer away from the Charmed Ones, the two Demons weren't invincible after all. Vinarus was needed to track the Apparition back to the Ministry.

"Oh, I know all about you, Chris. I took an interest in your future after you blurted out that nonsense about me." Damien smirked before snapping out his hand. All four were lifted by their necks into the air. "I found out what your grandmother did to my father."

Chris flicked his own hand and Damien felt himself being shoved violently backwards and as he lost control of his concentration they dropped to the ground. Another small explosion stung at his other shoulder and then another in the centre of his chest.

Damien flung out his hand as he righted himself and Piper was sent head over heels backwards. "Don't you think I could've killed you already?" Damien snapped. "I could've killed you when Piper was trapped in the Ghostly realm. The Power of three split, however unintentionally."

"That was you?" Paige glowered at him.

"Nah, what interest do I have in killing one Elder." Damien shrugged. "I was only the one that got the Darklighters to do what they had to, to separate the Elder from his guards."

"You know who targeted him?" Chris asked desperately. "Who was it? Are they the ones that want Wyatt?"

"I'm sorry, your asking privileges have been revoked since you attacked me." Damien told them with a smirk. If what this Chris had told him was true about his battles with Wyatt in the future he didn't particularly want to help him find the Elder.

"He knows." Phoebe frowned and Damien belatedly felt her presence against his shields which couldn't shield his emotions without blocking his powers.

"I had forgotten you were an Empath." Damien smirked coldly before lashing out with his mind. He slammed into her own mind with his telepathy using her forged link even as he snapped out both of his hands and gripped them all tightly with his telekinesis making sure that Chris' hands were strung out to his sides so he couldn't retaliate like the last time. He searched the woman's mind for information on Chris and found exactly what he wanted. The reason why he had returned.

He released her and she slumped in the air almost blacking out. Piper almost seemed to growl but Damien just released them and put off her aim before she could blast him again. His chest was rather sore, he rubbed at it gingerly. "I've got the answer I want so you can leave."

"We're not going to leave here until these people are safe." Paige snapped.

Damien smirked at her and lifted his arms. "What people, Paige?" He asked her. "Listen very closely, we are the only ones left."

All four went silent. "You killed them all."

"It was their own mistake for attacking the Underworld." Damien shrugged.

"But you were waiting for them to do that so you'd have an excuse to lead the Demons here to kill them." Chris told him confidently. Damien reached out with his telepathy at the young man, four years older than himself and felt only pity from him.

"Don't pity me!" Damien yelled and two Fire Matrixes burst into life with a single click of his fingers. "You know _nothing_ about me!"

"I know more about you then you do right now." Chris countered with a small smile.

"Let's see if your right about me shall we?" Damien snarled before sending both Fire Matrixes directly at him. Chris went pale before bursting into orbs and reappearing behind him. Damien knocked him flying with a wave of telekinesis but was sent flying back into a tree himself with a retaliatory strike.

He picked himself up with his own telekinesis and summoned another Fire Matrix which flew into the middle of the four Witches before it hung in mid air and began spinning faster and faster. He shimmered out.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Chris glanced at the Fire Matrix in horror and realised what it was. "Orb now!" He only waited long enough to ensure that the sisters did what he ordered before following them. Even so he felt his orbs get singed by the explosion. Damien Caete Ruin, the first and only Demon to be able to detonate Fire Matrixes in mid-air. The perfect bombs. Maybe he hadn't been right about Damien, perhaps his presence here only works to push Damien away from Good.

They reappeared in the Manor and collapsed onto the floor in shock. Chris pulled himself up against the table breathing heavily. But then he realised something and a smile spread across his face.

"What is so amusing, Chris?" Piper snapped.

"Sorry mum but I just realised something." Chris grinned happily at her.

"We just nearly got killed by a powerful Demon and the Wizarding World was just slaughtered and you are happy about it?" Paige asked sarcastically.

"Well, yeah." Chris told them. "I've seen what some of those Wizard do, they try to kill Aunt Phoebe and mum and that's the light ones. And I'm smiling because as you said, we _nearly_ got killed. He set that bomb with a two second fuse and he'd only need to have an instant one if he was going to shimmer out like that."

"So we would be dead if he had wanted to kill us?" Piper asked him wiping the smile from his face.

"Uh…yeah." Chris mumbled.

"Wait." Paige frowned suddenly realising something. "You knew that attack was going to take place all along didn't you?"

"Uh…yeah." Chris copied his exact words from two seconds ago. "The date was written down in history but nobody knew who led the Demons except that he was a member of Caete Ruin. It wasn't until Damien owned up to it that I found out."

"Then why didn't you say something about it!" Piper frowned. "We could have done something, warned them or something."

"What do you think you could have done?" Chris asked seriously.

"We could have helped them defend that town. Warned the Aurors not to fall for the trap." Paige pointed out.

"Defend the town?" Chris raised an eyebrow. "That was the largest force of Demons amassed in ten _thousand_ years and it's the largest that will ever be seen again. There is no way anyone could have survived that, not with every member of Good out there. The Wizards did this to themselves and if I had told you it would have only involved you in something you couldn't have handled."

The Sisters frowned at him but seemed to realise that they really had no chance against two thousand lower level Demons let alone several Upper Level ones and two Order members. "So what will happen to the Wizards now?" Phoebe asked.

"The Demons move onto different countries Wizarding Worlds and systematically destroy them all. Only the smallest pockets survive and eventually they split up into small groups and go into hiding. Some will turn Evil and they become assassins in the future but Damien always hunts down any that he hears of." Chris sighed. "That's how we met in the normal timeline actually. He kills two Wizards sent by Wyatt to kill a witch."

"They team up with the Evil Wyatt?" Piper choked on her words and received a small nod in return. "Is there anything we can do about the Demonic army before they strike again?"

"The army won't strike again. According to history the leader, the Caete Ruin member, never shows up again to band them together but Damien, the demon, makes a name for himself in the Underworld wiping out some of the European Wizarding Cities." Chris told them.

"What do you mean, made a name?" Phoebe frowned. "I thought you just said that nobody knew who the leader was."

"They don't, even now Damien fights as two people, either the member of Caete Ruin who nobody has seen the face of or an upper level Demon called Damien." Chris told them just before a column of orbs collected in the centre of the room and Leo appeared from them.

He glanced at them all. "Thank God you're all ok!" He gasped as he took in their appearances. "When I heard the news up there I thought you wouldn't be able to escape."

"What do you mean?" Piper asked with a frown.

"Did you get to the school in time to see the army?" Leo asked.

"Well, yes, but we didn't actually see them. Damien interrupted us before we could help." Piper explained.

"Are you all ok?" Leo asked with more worry on his face then ever before.

"Of course we are." Phoebe told him.

"We standing here aren't we?" Chris said rather snappishly and Phoebe slapped him to silence him.

"I was worried when I heard the reports of the largest Demonic Army for ten thousand years attacking the Wizards that you had gotten caught in the crossfire." Chris sent a victorious smirk at Paige who huffed at him. Leo continued. "The Army completely destroyed their ministry from within and now they are moving across the country destroying every sign of the Wizarding World. The European countries are in a frenzy over it."

"That's exactly what happened the first time." Chris muttered.

"The first time, you knew this was going to happen? Why didn't you say anything?" Leo rounded on him.

"Don't start, Leo, we've already been through this with him." Phoebe muttered as she rubbed her forehead. "There wouldn't have been anything anybody could have done to stop it."

"What's wrong with your head?" Page frowned at her older sister.

"I've had this headache ever since he attacked my memories." Phoebe muttered.

"He's a telepath." Chris put in helpfully.

"Thanks for the warning." Phoebe muttered sarcastically and Chris just shrugged.

"What did he see?" Leo asked suddenly.

"I'm not sure, things about how we are all related. Things about Wyatt, about that Darklighter trap a while back. Oh God!" Phoebe tensed up.

"What, Phoebe?" Piper asked.

"And everything that was said with that Spider Demon last week. About Chris being your son." Phoebe gasped out.

"That could be a problem." Chris said aloud though it was obvious he had meant to keep it to himself.

"Chris, what's wrong?" Leo asked.

"Nothing _you_ need to worry about." Chris snapped at all four of them before orbing out.

They didn't need to know that part of Damien turning Good was the fact that when he met Chris he wouldn't know that he had killed Chris' mother. Chris didn't really want to think about it either.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Durmstrang Wizarding School

Damien smiled as he sent a Fire Matrix into the top of a tower in the middle of the many-towered castle in Poland. It didn't seem to do anything until it exploded sending debris in all directions before falling on the group of Wizards fighting to defend those inside and give them time to escape through alternative routes. Damien and the two hundred Demons were simply toying with them though. Drawing out their deaths to make a point but most importantly so that the other Demons could enjoy themselves as they played into Damien's hands.

Not once had Damien appeared as the anonymous Caete Ruin Demon that had controlled the Demonic Underworld for those few months and talk had spread throughout the Underworld that the Charmed Ones had Vanquished him. He wondered whether he should stamp that rumour out but he found that he couldn't be bothered. He was as uncaring about the Demons' opinions of him as he was about the Wizards'.

He was pissed though at the way he was feeling and it had taken him almost two weeks to realise the problem in the first place. He was obsessed with how Chris knew him because his instincts screamed at him that Chris knew more about him then he had owned up to and worse yet that the half-Whitelighter was speaking the truth. What was worse was that as a Demon he shouldn't even care. He gritted his teeth against the memory of his mother's last written words to him.

Damien killed one of the Polish Aurors with a rather vindictive wave of telekinetic power that broke most of his bones against the wall of the castle before he focused on the ruined wall and brought it down on top of the other defenders with a well placed Fire Matrix.

The lower Demons around him cheered as they viewed the wreckage before looking to Damien for further orders only to find him Shimmering away leaving a spinning Fire Matrix in his place. Their eyes widened even as they transported themselves away recognising his unique ability to turn his Fire Matrix power into a massive bomb. No sooner had they gone the five second fuse 'burned' away and the bomb blew taking off the front of the castle with it.

Damien reappeared in his lair to find a rather unwelcome sight. Another demon. He charged a Fire Matrix rather annoyed with himself for tiring himself out with that bomb he'd left and for not checking his lair was empty before arriving.

"Now, now, now." The Demon turned on him and Damien noted his powerful upper level status. "You don't want to be doing that."

"Don't I?" Damien snarled at the equally powerful Demon. "Who are you?"

"Barbas." He mock bowed but Damien didn't move.

"And what does the Demon of Fear want with a simple Demon." Damien asked.

"Ever the modest one, Caete Ruin." Damien glared at Barbas' slick words. "I've seen what you have done to the Wizards and I know the truth behind that name of yours. You see, I saw your father's greatest fear in his last moments. Your exposure as a Wizard and your death."

"And what is it to you?" Damien asked.

"Nothing…" Barbas smiled a twisted smile. "Perhaps a small boon, I do you a favour and you do me one." Barbas walked up to Damien and before Damien could do anything he waved his hand across the air. "Now, that is an interesting fear and very hard for me to find."

"What are you talking about, Barbas?" Damien glared.

"Your fear that the Good Witch is right about your future and that your father's premonition of you loving a Witch is correct." Barbas smiled at him as he stepped back but it wasn't a kind one. "What a pity to lose such a Demon as you."

"What are you offering, Barbas?" Damien asked.

"I need a place to stay, you see I made a few enemies over the years and I set up the Charmed Ones and tried to kill one of their mortal pets…and now they are after me too." Barbas waved his hand expansively. "I just need somewhere to lay low and some protection from them of course and word is that you have bested them twice in fair fights now."

"And what do I get in return?" Damien asked.

"I can tell you the time-traveller's deepest fear." Barbas told him.

"I already know that!" Damien snapped. "That damn Elder told me he's here to stop his brother from turning Evil."

"Yet we know that it will probably be him that does it." Barbas grinned before his grin twisted again. "But no, that is not his greatest fear. His greatest fear is that he had damaged your future of Good by being here, that he has pushed you too far away and that he will not have you to go back to in the future."

Damien frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I only see his fears, not his memories, but one would assume that he is telling the truth." Barbas smirked at him. "As I said, such a waste of a Demon but I dare say it will be interesting."

"You're out of your mind, Barbas!" Damien growled.

"But I held up my end of the bargain." Barbas smirked.

"Only because I am growing bored of those idiotic lower Demons as company. Follow me." Damien growled out.

"Why? What is wrong with here?" Barbas frowned looking around the nice lair.

"This is hardly very protective, any Demon can waltz in here." Damien snapped before snuffing the still lingering Fire Matrix and Shimmering out. He made sure to leave a trail for the Demon of Fear to follow and took him directly to the Temple of Caete Ruin.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Temple of Caete Ruin - Two months later

Vinarus interrupted Damien's meditation as he appeared in the centre of the chamber. He eyed the chamber for Barbas but nodded when he was absent. "Don't you like Barbas, Vinarus?" Damien asked without opening his eyes.

"Not particularly." Vinarus told him.

"He isn't here anyway, I kicked him out for the moment because I am trying to concentrate and he was irritating me." Damien assured him.

"What are you concentrating on?" Vinarus asked.

"Since you arrived, nothing." Damien opened his eyes and delivered the Demon a harsh look. He wasn't about to say that he was trying to unravel the truth to Barbas' words and work out what is was that he was feeling, the fact that he was having to drudge up old memories of his emotions as a Wizard wasn't helping matters.

"I thought you should know that Witch Wars has decided to upgrade themselves. They are trying to gain upper level powers." Vinarus told him.

"And we should care because?" Damien raised an eyebrow.

"They haven't been successful gaining Upper level powers because no Upper Level Demon is stupid enough to risk it, but if they up the challenge and rewards then there are always some that will go for it." Vinarus paused and Damien glared at him to spit it out. "It's common knowledge that you are still alive no matter what some Demons think and if they want to take over the Underworld they'll have to go after you at some point."

"Thank you, Vinarus." Damien nodded. "Keep an eye on your own back too, they'd love to get a hold of your powers."

Vinarus left and Damien frowned before falling into meditation again. It was obvious to him that these Demons might trick upper level into attacking him to get him out of the way with the added benefit of being able to steal his powers. Damien glowered as he opened his eyes and stood. He raised his hood before he shimmered out and appeared in a bar within the Underworld's busier region.

He'd been here to look at this new show when it had first begun about a month ago but it had been rather too boring for him. He dismissed the bar tender when he was asked what he wanted to drink and simply got a glare in return.

"Quiet! It's back on!" A Demon yelled and the room fell quiet as one of the walls flowed over with magic and the show came back on air.

"Welcome back to Witch Wars!" A Demon announced with a flare as he gestured to three lower level demons behind him. "Today we have a special game for all. A demonic target to really test our contenders abilities. But not any Demon, no this one lead the largest army of Demons to walk the Earth in ten thousand years."

There were groans from the three contenders but they were obviously under contract and couldn't back out without some sort of repercussion. Damien shook his head at Vinarus' timing. "And as luck would have it he has just surfaced, our contenders will each have an athame and the winner will be awarded with his powers and the chance to rule the Underworld for eternity."

"No way!" A demon gasped in the room.

"Do they really think that those three pitiful lower level demons could kill a member of Caete Ruin?" Damien asked neutrally.

"But he won't be expecting them!" A Demon grinned.

"They'll be dead before they know what's hit them. I was at that battle!" Another Demon declared.

Damien chuckled before gesturing at the screen. "Let's just watch and see what they do."

"Now, the contenders have their target's signature, all they need to do is wait for him to shimmer and leave a trail and they can attack. Each will carry a camera so no matter where he is we'll be able to see every moment." The Demon host told the audience.

Damien chuckled before striding forwards to stand in front of the screen, he turned slightly. "Hey get out of the way, we want to watch this!" A demon yelled at him.

Damien just smirked though they couldn't see it and raised a hand up to his chin with the inside of his wrist outwards. The sleeve fell and the thirty Demons in the bar found themselves staring at his green diamond. His mark of the Order of Caete Ruin. "Let's see what happens to Demons who try to kill me."

The room was dead silent as he shimmered out. "Ladies and Demons, he's just shimmered."

Damien smirked as he appeared behind all three contenders and killed the centre one before anyone could notice him. He knew the audience could see him and by the gestures being made by the female demon in what was supposed to be a control room he knew that she had seen him too. The other two lower level demons died in the same instant. Damien knew that these were supposed to die so that the prospect of getting Damien's powers would be enough to draw in the higher levelled ones so he wanted to make a point that it was death to anyone.

He stopped killing after the three contenders were gone and summoned two Fire Matrixes to hand on either side of him. He crossed his arms making sure that both of his tattoos were bared for the audience to see. The Demon host turned to see what the fuss was about and went deadly pale.

"You obviously weren't strong enough to come after me yourself." Damien spoke loud enough for everyone watching to hear. "Perhaps you'd like to try me, if not keep this pitiful excuse for entertainment out of my way before I put a stop to it."

Damien walked towards the Demon but the Matrixes stayed where they were. "Target somebody else!" He snapped before clicking his fingers sending both of the fire Matrixes into opposite sides of the studio blowing rather large holes out of the walls as they exploded. Before the dust was settled he had Shimmered out leaving the show to cut to a dead signal.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Two days later

Damien was glad that he kept half an eye on Witch Wars over the last few days as it actually made for interesting watching. Without wanting to risk there own lives on trying to target Damien again they had turned to the Charmed Ones and Damien knew that it had been the Elder, Gideon according the Barbas, that had put them on the trail. Damien knew that he didn't have to worry about them becoming the Source since he knew that Gideon wouldn't let harm come to the actual Charmed Ones but he had to admit that the ploy was a good one to distract the sisters since Upper Level Demons would actually go for it since Piper was off the sensors at the moment even to Damien's telepathic senses.

He had brought a viewing crystal from the Demonic Market so that he could watch the events from his Lair and was still trying to decide whether to do anything, on one hand he wanted the greatest force of Good to be wiped out but on the other hand he wanted to know the truth about Chris and this future that kept being waved in front of his nose.

In the end he made up his mind to just watch what happened and maybe use the events to his advantage to kidnap Chris and finally get to the bottom of this. Things definitely got interesting after Leo, Chris, Paige and Phoebe finished killing the Shape shifter and Brute demon and the host killed the Darklighter and the Witches found out that they were being watched and threatened the Demons.

When, two hours after this, Chris and Paige orbed into the attic of their house to view the Book of Shadows, Damien knew that they had set their own trap and as the Demon host appeared and started attacking the now hiding pair Damien saw it all laid in front of him.

He shimmered out of his Lair and into the same pub as before though this time he went as the less renowned Damien instead of the Caete Ruin Demon. He took a lazy seat at the bar as he watched the screen. He didn't know why he had come to the bar except that he wanted to see the reactions of the Demonic Underworld. As he watched the host was ambushed by Phoebe and Leo and Damien gave himself a point for guessing that they would use the athame they had stolen from the Brute Demon to steal the female Demon's powers so that they could kill the Demon host.

It didn't take long and Damien loved the silence as the Demons watched as Phoebe turned on the camera. "Anyone else want to make a play for our baby?" She glared through the screen before shimmering out of the attic of her manor and straight into the bar. There was mass panic as the Demons tried to crowd out of the doors and Damien wondered why they didn't all shimmer out but then remembered that only upper level Demons could come and go from areas like this as they pleased.

Phoebe went about killing numerous Demons as they tried to escape ineffectually and he even had to use his telekinesis to knock away an energy ball that was thrown towards him by the over zealous witch turned Demon.

She blew up the screen last and Damien, the only other being left in the room, began clapping sarcastically. She spun on him and threw an energy ball but he just held out his hand and caught it before snuffing it out. It took a lot of magic to do something like this but it definitely made an impression. He'd had to practice it for weeks against Vinarus who had been a much better teacher than Lucus had been.

"Don't, Phoebe." Damien told her. "I'm tired of our little fights."

"What so now that I have Demonic Powers you're scared of little old me?" Phoebe smirked at him.

Damien just shook his head. "I want to talk to Chris." Damien told her simply. "Have him meet me tomorrow at midday on top of Golden Gate Bridge."

"What is this about?" Phoebe frowned.

"It doesn't matter. Just have him meet me there." Damien told her before shimmering out.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Golden Gate Bridge

Damien never expected that Chris would come on his own and he was proven right when three orb clouds appeared on the top of the enormous stacks of the suspension bridge. He was very tempted to send the clouds over the edge but instead he created an illusion of himself on the far side of the platform before he stood behind the group. They appeared with Leo on the left, Chris in the middle and in front of Damien and Paige and Phoebe on his right. They all looked at 'Damien' with frowns.

Damien concentrated on the illusion and it jumped off of the metre wide cable it had been sitting on and made it speak for him. "I told Chris to come alone."

"You didn't actually expect him to did you?" Leo asked.

"Actually no," Damien's fake shrugged. "That's why Demons are always outmatched by you, you work together. Now you see, I have been working together with a few people and it's interesting what you can find out."

The actual Damien snuck up on Chris. "Like how to trick the Charmed Ones." He whispered just loud enough for them all to hear him but before they could react he grabbed Chris and shimmered out. His illusion was left to smirk at the shocked Elder and two Witches before it faded after about two seconds.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Damien's Lair

Damien didn't want to run the risk of being interrupted by Barbas or Vinarus so he shimmered with his captive to his lair and had no sooner appeared before he dumped the sagging time traveller onto the ground. He walked off to the far side where the Lair opened out into a sea of red mist like a beach.

"Where am I?" Chris asked.

"My Lair." Damien told him before turning to face the now standing Witch-Whitelighter "I would have thought you would recognise it from the future."

"You used the Temple of Caete Ruin in the future since it was only place you were safe." Chris told him.

"Safe from what?" Damien asked.

"I can't tell you without damaging the future." Chris told him.

Damien snapped and flung out his hand but Chris was evidently ready and neutralised his blast with one of his own. "Do you really think you haven't already by blurting everything out?"

"I know you hate having your destiny dictated to you." Chris smiled sadly at him.

Damien closed the gap in an instant until they were only a few feet from each other. "How do you know that?" He hissed.

"I know about Trewlawny's premonition and the Wizarding Worlds betrayal of you after the sphere didn't let you touch it." Chris told him.

"You're telling the truth." Damien staggered backwards as if he'd been punched.

"I know they hurt you but you've had your revenge, you have to let go of the anger and follow your heart." Chris told him.

"I can't." Damien sighed before half turning away from the Witch.

"That's what you said the last time." Chris told him.

"What happened?" Damien asked. "Why did I turn Good?"

"You didn't _turn_ Good, you just released the part of you that had turned you Evil." Chris told him.

"But why did I do that, I like being like this, not having to care about others, living for myself!" Damien snapped.

"Because you realised that you did care about others." Chris told him. "You cared about somebody and found out that you had killed somebody that they had loved and it changed you."

"Who did I care about?" Damien narrowed his eyes dreading the answer.

"Me." Chris sighed knowing that he'd already advanced the events in this version of time. "You got to know me after saving me from a pair of Wizards but I already knew who you were. I'd watched you kill her when I was still a child and you didn't make the connection."

"Why did you get to know me if I'd already killed her?" Damien frowned.

"Because I wanted to get passed your defences and cause the same pain to you as you had to me." Chris started shaking. "But then I found out your past. It took me years but I got over it and accepted it but you were still holding onto your anger. It wasn't until you ran into Wyatt during a massive battle that I was a part of that Wyatt dropped a clue and put together who I was. You completely snapped. Wyatt lost more that day than in any other battle. And you vanished for almost a year before you showed up at my home."

"Why are you telling me this?" Damien asked.

"The events can't happen anymore, you recognised me for Wyatt's brother and you won't get shocked into releasing your anger." Chris told him. "I'm trying to get you to do it on your own. To turn Good now."

"I can't just do that at the click of a finger. I'm not strong enough to face that life anymore." Damien was forced to look away as he felt all of his emotions bubbling to the surface. His heart was trying to battle away his Demonic instincts. "Did I…"

"Did you what?" Chris asked before suddenly snapping his head up as he felt a pull at his soul. "They're summoning me."

"Go if you want. I never meant to keep you here." Damien turned to look at him only to see him resisting the pull. He frowned but flooded the lair with his own magic and blocked the summons. "Why didn't you go?" Damien demanded.

"If I can at any time then I'm not leaving till we deal with this." Chris told him. "Did you what?"

Damien looked away again. "Did I love you?"

Chris recoiled like he'd been slapped and Damien sighed before turning and walking up to the mist. He'd gone out on a limb with his hidden emotions and gotten himself hurt again. He felt a hand on his shoulder and whipped around to find himself facing Chris. "You did and I did love you but you didn't want to do anything about it because of what you'd done to me and I fell in love with a witch."

Damien forced himself away from Chris' hand. "What did I do to you?" Damien asked.

"You killed my mother." Chris told him.

"I killed Piper?" Damien frowned. "Why did I target a Charmed One?"

"You didn't, you went after Leo and when she found out she and Phoebe came after you and you killed her." Chris spoke very quietly.

"Why did I go after Leo?" Damien asked.

"I don't know. I never found out and after she died I didn't care about the why's anymore, I just wanted you dead." Chris glared at the ground and Damien knew that it was because he didn't want to glare at him. "Please, don't do it this time. I can't lose her twice."

"How can I promise you that if I don't know why it happened?" Damien asked.

"Just try." Chris sighed. Chris readied himself to orb but Damien stopped him but neither spoke. "I saw you attack Witch Wars the other night, I was in the pub looking for information."

A smirk appeared on Damien's face even through his confused feelings. "I watched when you found out about it."

Chris smiled at him at the attempt at small talk. "I'm leaving soon but I hope to see you in the future. If everything goes to plan then perhaps we can finally be in some way together." Chris assured him.

"I'll be waiting." Damien nodded and for the first time in a long while he found himself looking forward to the future but then something struck him. "Wait, why are you going back to the future?"

"I've done what I came here to do?"

"But you haven't stopped him!" Damien blurted.

"Stopped who? We took out the Demons from Witch Wars." Chris frowned.

"You really think those two idiots could abduct Wyatt?" Damien spun on his heel and a Fire Matrix appeared in the air before he swatted at it sending it into the wall angrily. "It was never somebody Evil that turns him, it was never a Demon trying to convert him it was always somebody trying to stop him becoming Evil that screwed up."

"Who is it Damien?" Chris grabbed him by the shoulder but Damien never got the chance to answer and orbs appeared in the air. Damien prepared to stop Chris from being summoned and spent his magic into it before both realised that it wasn't Chris being summoned but Damien.

Damien vanished into orbs before he could summon enough strength to stop it.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

End Chapter


	3. Betrayed

Torn between sides

Chapter 3; Betrayed

Damien snarled viciously as he arrived in another cloud of orbs within a Lair that definitely wasn't the one he just left. All the emotions of comfort and safety he hadn't even realised that he had held within his own lair with Chris just now evaporated.

"Elder!" He hissed as he spotted Gideon. The cursed fool of an Elder had actually had the audacity to summon him and from and to the Underworld as well. That was sheer arrogance. One telepathic summons would bring Demons flooding the Lair. He summoned a Fire Matrix above his hand without any of his normal flare and shot it across the room. He hissed and ducked his own shot as it rebounded off of a wall of magic that sprung up around him.

"Trapped, I'm afraid. Crystal shield." Gideon told him. Damien snuffed his second Fire Matrix and reached out with his telepathic senses. He wouldn't be able to shimmer through it, neither could he use his telekinesis through it. It was very powerful. "Blessed by the Charmed Ones themselves."

"How ironic." Damien rolled his eyes at the Elder. "And I'm here for what? It cant just be before of some creepy desire to stare at me."

Gideon narrowed his eyes at him. "I heard that you had kidnapped Chris and I couldn't let you tell him the truth about me. Especially now that I am so close. Even now Paige and Phoebe are being tricked into unbalancing the Grand Design. Right now the world above us is saturated with too much Good. Chris finding out that I was behind it would have ruined my plan but luckily I convinced the Sisters to do what I wanted anyway."

"You talk far too much. You're like Voldemort." Damien told him simply. "Tell me the rest of your plan while you're at it."

"It isn't like you can do anything about it here." Gideon smirked at him. "In fact I do have time on my hands. You see, I had to send Piper to the hospital while Paige, Phoebe and Leo were escorting Chris into your trap and right now she has cast a spell on the two sisters to trick them into the general mindset up there."

"What mindset?"

"That any evil infraction is severely punishable." Gideon shrugged. "It should distract them enough to get to Wyatt."

"Chris isn't stupid, he knows it's somebody Good." Damien told him.

"That boy is simply a minor nuisance. He can't stand against me and he's the only one left to protect Wyatt." Gideon boasted. "Once I have the baby away from Chris I can take my time to finish him off. Speaking of which. Barbas should be distracting Leo right about now."

With that he orbed out of the room and Damien snarled once again and summoned a Fire Matrix in irritation only to snuff it out. He did it a couple of more times before reaching out telepathically searching for anybody of use. He didn't really want to reach out to any Demon, even Vinarus, knowing that they were just as likely to stab him while he was defenceless and steal his powers than to actually help him. Instead he reached for Chris finding it rather easy after all the time of watching and studying the older man.

He found him in the Halliwell Manor just in time to feel his magic scream out in anger and pain as he was wounded. Damien felt the magic, it was evil. Had Gideon gotten a Demon to attack Chris or had Gideon used Evil magic himself. He thought back to something Dumbledore had once told him about the darkest of Evil magic, wounds created by it could only be healed by it. Leo couldn't heal Chris and the man would die.

Damien turned the full brunt of his power against the shield but it barely wobbled. He'd need twice the power he already had to even start to make a dent and even then it would take hours to do enough to cripple it.

He thought back to what Gideon had said. He'd managed to upset the balance of the Grand Design which meant opening a hole to their counterpart world where Good was Evil and Evil was Good. Vinarus had mentioned it to him. So somewhere out their was a working portal because Gideon couldn't have upset the balance without help from the other side. Probably from his other self.

He reached out telepathically once again and traced everywhere that Gideon had been before coming here. Pitifully the Elder hadn't covered his own tracks at all but fighting his way through the defences of where he had been previously took almost half an hour and that was only to breach it telepathically. As soon as he was through though he felt the power of the portal and brushed his mind into it hoping that the same situation was repeated on the other side. The other world must have been upset just like his and hopefully their Gideon had seen the Good Damien as just such a threat.

He was rewarded instantly as soon as his mind touched the portal and he felt the mind of his counterpart. What worried him the most was that the other mind and his were only just slightly different and he realised in that moment that he was changing, becoming neutral all the way through just like his counterpart was turning from Good to neutral. They held the same betrayal and anger in their hearts but whereas he had used it straight away his counterpart had fought it and was now coming to terms with the need to embrace it. It wasn't wrong on either of their parts but it was the strangest thing he had ever encountered.

__

"We need to work together." Damien said just as his counterpart said the same thing.

__

"Which first?" His counterpart asked.

__

"It doesn't matter as long as the other sticks around to help." Damien chuckled and showed his faith in his slightly more Good counterpart by throwing all of his telepathic and magical power through the portal and into his counterpart's body before turning it on his cage in unison with his counterpart's own magic. It took an hour to break his crystal cage and another hour to break through his own cage but when they were free they acknowledged each other and backed away.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Halliwell Manor

Damien was weaker after bringing down the cages but he knew that Gideon would no longer be anywhere near the Halliwell's infamous home and shimmered straight into the living room. He instantly saw that the place was filled with mortal police officers, a swat team by the looks of it. None of them saw him and he spread an illusion around himself so that they wouldn't as he waited patiently for them to leave. The Elder that Damien had seen when he had ordered the Darklighters to attack him came through the front door a few minutes after Damien had arrived and called out for Paige, ignoring the police around him.

Leo got no answer and ran for the stairs and up to the first floor. Damien shimmered along behind him but kept himself hidden from the frightened looking man. Paige came from a side door and after seeing the Elder shook her head with tears running down her face. Two more mortals came from the room behind them and looked at Leo with regret.

"What did you do to him?" Leo glared at them both.

"We didn't do anything." The woman sighed. "We didn't have to." Leo frowned.

"I'm sorry, Leo." The man told him with true regret and the two mortals walked down the hallway. Leo darted into the room that the three had emerged from and Paige followed him at a more sedate pace. Damien followed at an even slower pace knowing what he'd be faced with. Inside the room Chris was lain out on the bed holding his lower rib cage in pain.

Damien crossed the room to stand in front of the window as Leo grabbed his son's head in his hands and bowed his head. His hands moved to hover over the wound and his hands glowed gold for a moment before he sagged in defeat.

"Gideon did this to me, only he can heal it." Chris said in a tired voice.

"Actually Gideon's Evil magic did this to you and only Evil magic can cure it." Damien spoke up. Leo was on his feet in an instant as Damien's illusion fell and he appeared as a silhouette in front of the window. Lightning blasting from his hands and slammed into Damien before the shocked demon could think about dodging. He was sent straight back into the wall beside the window smacking his head against it with a sound thump. He shimmered away before he hit the floor and reappeared behind the man before grabbing him around the neck. "Would you cut it out you hyped up Elder?"

"What are you doing here!?" Paige asked suspiciously. "Come to gloat?"

"Paige, Dad," Chris had their attention in an instant. "Leave him alone."

Leo sagged at his dying son's request and Damien released his neck and took a step away and to the foot of the bed. "You look like crap." Damien remarked carelessly.

Chris chuckled weakly and Leo knelt back at his side. "Gideon said you were locked up in a crystal cage. How did you…?" He trailed off as he coughed.

"With a little help from myself." Damien shrugged. "Together we were too powerful even for a cage blessed by the Charmed Ones."

"Only you." Chris made a good attempt at rolling his eyes. "At least I know you're free."

"Yes and I'm not done yet." Damien told him. "Get away from him Elder, your Good magic isn't helping matters."

"What?" Leo looked at him in horror at the idea that his magic could do harm to his own son.

"I can feel the Evil in him calling out to me. The knife was cursed so you couldn't heal him and your direct contact only makes the curse dig in deeper." Damien snarled at him. "Get back now before you kill him!"

This got Leo moving and he scrambled back. "You shouldn't be Evil." Chris told him sadly.

"I can't just throw it away, it's who I am." Damien told him simply.

"But not everything you are." Chris retorted.

"That life was a lie. Harry Potter was a lie, he's a baby buried in a garden. I was just a lie, everything I felt back then was a lie. That kind of life only gets you hurt. In this life, I'm free to do as I please and I don't have to rely on anyone and I'm going to save you so I can prove how wrong you are about me." Damien told him. "I'm not Good just because I cant control my emotions, that just makes me weak. You'll see."

"But you're not supposed to be like this forever." Chris told him weakly. Damien held his hands out to the sides of him and the room darkened as the unnatural light of Goodness was flooded out by Evilness. Chris writhed on the bed as the Evil magic awoke and reached out for it's brethren slowing creeping out of it's haven towards Damien who absorbed it with a sigh. Chris sagged back onto the bed and Damien waved at Leo who leapt forwards and started to heal the physical damage from the knife.

"I can't make that promise to you, Chris." Damien said quietly referring to their last conversation, about him killing Piper. "It's because of them that my father, my real father is dead. Who you are, and what you say, doesn't change what your family did to mine. You have all these people and I have never had anyone. If what they do in the future is worthy of it then I will kill them. You accepted me for it once before, you'll just have to do it again."

Resolve filled him and he drew himself up and turned a dark look on Paige and then Leo. "Correct the balance. Do you know how?"

"Kill Gideon." Leo put in anger and fury reflected in his eyes. The same anger that Harry felt for the Halliwells for their part in his father's death.

"Kill him personally." Damien sneered at him. "An Evil deed by an Elder."

Leo didn't look in the least bit happy with it but looked resolved enough to do it anyway. Damien sneered at Paige and Leo one last time, gave Chris a neutral look and shimmered out of the room to the temple to find Barbas. He was due some serious payback.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Temple of Caete Ruin

Vinarus was pacing when he appeared in the centre of the temple. "Good, you're here."

"Yes I am. What's the problem?" Damien asked.

"The world's gone crazy." Vinarus raised his hands in irritation.

"That's nothing new then." Damien shrugged before hopping up on the alter and crossing his legs.

"One minute I'm doing work as DA and then I've got three damn witches bursting through my door and potions flying everywhere!" Vinarus continued ignoring Damien's sarcasm. "I had to kill two of them. Kill, in my work place! My cover!"

"Just go kill the third and then nobody will be the wiser." Damien shrugged again.

"I'd love to except it seems every witch up there converges on us if we show ourselves and no doubt there are dozens of witches protecting her now. Her whole conclave undoubtedly." Vinarus sneered.

"You're not scared are you, Vinarus." Damien teased before shutting his eyes and spreading out his mind as he listened to his Order Brother.

"Of course not!" Vinarus snapped. "Something is really screwed up on the surface and even down here. I saw two demons being killed by witches on the way down here."

"That'll be fixed momentarily." Damien didn't bother to open his eyes.

"What?" Vinarus came up short and rounded on the younger demon. "What do you mean?"

"An Elder mucked with the balance between our world and our opposite. Screwed up the balance. Now, he'll die at the hands of another Elder because he attacked his family and the balance will right itself." Damien told him cracking open one eye to look for his reaction. Vinarus was stumped.

"What did you do?" He finally asked.

"I did nothing." He lied. "Barbas set me up and got me captured by Gideon and now I'm going to find that little rodent and torture him."

Vinarus' irritation fled slowly from his eyes followed by a dark pleasure that made Damien grin, this was how things were supposed to be. As if in response to his words a thrill of power spread through the room and both Demons looked up at the ceiling towards the surface with smirks on their faces. The balance had righted again.

Damien reached out with his mind for the next hour searching for Barbas before finally finding the cretin in one of the clubs in the lower reaches of the Underworld. He passed the location over to Vinarus in invitation and the demon raised his hood. Damien smirked before standing and raising his own. It was time for the Order of Caete Ruin to appear again and when Barbas finally got away from the two he'd never be the same again and word would spread across the Underworld about what happened to people that went against either of the two powerful Demons. Even amongst witches when Damien and Vinarus went after that third witch two weeks later and killed her and four others in her conclave.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Six months later

The next six months were peaceful for Damien, in as much as a life as a demon could be. He spent most of his time watching the world through telepathy, doing mercenary jobs as Damien or hunting the odd group of Wizards that popped up here and there. Over the months more and more ex-Death Eaters and their friends had begun to make deals with demonic factions to gain protection. Damien permitted it so far as the group didn't cause him trouble. Twice though the factions had made a move against his Caete Ruin alias and in both attempts he had hidden from them only to publicly destroy them where there were plenty of demons to witness their deaths. The first time Vinarus had joined him in the festivities but the second time Damien did it himself.

His Caete Ruin alias was soon only ever spoken of in the corner of pubs and clubs and always in dull whispers. He found it amusing that he now had the same reputation as Voldemort had before Damien had killed him. Apart from those two appearances though, his alias never surfaced and it was popularly felt that he was searching the world for powers beyond any demon's dreams.

Damien had had other things to concern himself over in the last few months though. Steadily a power had begun to rise that worried both Damien and Vinarus. Vinarus suspected that it was Avatars, neutral beings of immense power that sought only one thing, complete peace between all factions and they'd do anything for it even if that meant the destruction of a particular side which normally meant the destruction of the Underworld and all the demons, warlocks, vampires and so on. Vinarus was more worried than Damien was about the deaths of other demons since Damien found it just as pleasurable to kill demons as mortals or witches though none of those matched killing Wizards. Both though were worried for their own lives.

If the Avatars wanted the remove the demons as a threat then they would have to remove Damien and Vinarus as opposition. It was these concerns that had driven Damien and Vinarus to accept a meeting with a newly freed demon. An old rival of the Source of All Evil. Zankou. Against either of them individually they'd be hard pressed to kill him but between the two they were safe. Even so they agreed to meet on the surface in the middle of Golden Gate Park.

Damien appeared first followed rapidly by Vinarus, both wore their hoods and didn't even twitch as Zankou arrived dead on the second they were due to meet. "Zankou." Damien greeted stoically. Zankou made no effort to hide his appearance but Damien and Vinarus made no effort to show theirs. Both of their minds were shut up tightly to prevent the demon from spying into their thoughts and memories.

"It is a pleasure to meet members of the Order of Caete Ruin once again. I was surprised to hear that the Underworld was leaderless at such a time as this when there were still two active members." Zankou didn't seem to want to push for their identities. "I would think one of you would have jumped at the chance to lead the Underworld."

"And why do you think that such a thing interests us?" Vinarus' sneer was clearing his tone even if Zankou couldn't make out his face.

"Wouldn't the demons stand more of a chance against Avatars with a strong demon at the head?" Zankou asked though he wasn't clear who he meant.

"So you also believe that this power is the Avatars?" Damien changed the subject, they all knew that Zankou was one step behind Damien and Vinarus when it came to the race for the position of Source of All Evil. He hadn't ever commanded the demons as a nation.

"I recently _dispatched_ a Seer of considerable power who had just proven to the Charmed Ones that the Avatars were a real threat." Zankou asked.

"The Charmed Ones?" Damien asked and tilted his head to show his curiosity. "And what did they have to say about it?"

"I believe they are all for a life without Demons and battles." Zankou spat.

"As we would expect." Vinarus put in. "What do you want to do about it though? Build an army of demons?"

"Precisely." Zankou said.

"You do not have the sway to do such a thing yet." Damien put in. "You need us to call for them since they will still answer to us."

"And when the time comes, will you?" Zankou asked. Damien could see the plots going through his mind. Use Damien and Vinarus to solidify the demonic world and then replace them through subterfuge and neither demon was going to fall for that.

"We care very little for what happens to the Underworld as a whole." Damien sneered in a tone that showed that the meaning was directed at Zankou also. "If you want an army at your beck and call then you will have to work for it yourself. If the Avatars want to try to kill us then I welcome them to try. They are not yet foolish enough to take on the Temple of Caete Ruin. I may remind you that the Order of Caete Ruin are the only ones to have survived the ages since their last attempt and we survived that one."

"You…" Zankou's face turned to one of rage.

"Careful, Zankou." Vinarus spoke up silkily. "Perhaps you should ask around the Underworld and find out what happened to the demons that have attacked us lately before you make any brash decisions."

"You're a smart demon, Zankou." Damien smirked under his hood and half turned to mimic leaving though he wasn't planning on turning his back on the demon. "I'm sure if anyone can find a way to survive the Avatars it is you."

Damien and Vinarus shimmered out straight to the Temple hiding their tracks along the way even if Zankou couldn't follow them through the ancient wards. Relics of the age of the last Avatar attack.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Two months later

Damien knew something was wrong when Vinarus shimmered into the Temple and started speaking before letting Damien withdraw from his meditation. Even so, Damien knew what the demon was running from even before he said it.

"The Avatars are making their move." Vinarus snarled. "The mortals are falling to sleep."

"What other power did they get to boost them?" Damien frowned. He hadn't felt the magic being cast so they'd obviously done it from somewhere hidden probably the same place he had had to break his way into to get his counterpart's help.

"It could only be the Charmed Ones." Vinarus pointed out. "They made Leo an Avatar months ago and the sisters agreed with the cause after Zankou killed the Seer. Their power would easily give them enough."

"But just enough or more than enough?" Damien asked.

"You still want to carry out the plan then?" Vinarus asked not bothering to answer the rhetorical question.

"Yes." Damien nodded. "You made a good point before, we can't afford to sit and wait for them to come to us. We need to weaken them and the easiest way to do that is now."

"What about Zankou's plan?" Vinarus frowned.

"If it works then it will simply weaken them, we need to force them to take drastic measures, to come after us and use their powers to try to kill us." Damien told him.

"I still think its foolhardy." Vinarus pointed out.

"I know you do but what choice do we have. Once the spell is complete and the Sisters are fully on their side they will be even more powerful and they'll come after us. This way we have the edge." Damien said for the fiftieth time in the last months.

"I know, I know." Vinarus shrugged up his hood. "If we're going to do it then now is the time."

Damien nodded and stood. They both shimmered out and reappeared in the wastes that surrounded the ornate Temple of Caete Ruin. Thousands of battles had been fought here between Good and Evil, gods and demons, demons and demons and even Good verses Good. It was the perfect place to begin their mission. Damien raised his hood and both sent out the same powerful telepathic shock wave as before even though they knew that the Avatars would feel it. They hoped and knew that the Avatars wouldn't risk responding to it though and it wasn't meant for them.

The unmistakable sound of shimmering spread across the area and though nothing like the scene at Hogsmeade all that time ago it was still impressive that even with the threat of the Avatars hanging over their heads so many came though Damien did note that only ten upper level demons had responded. Even so, that was more than enough for what they needed.

"It speaks much for you all that you responded in such a time as this." Damien told them.

"You are still our best hope of unifying the Underworld and fighting off the Avatars as a whole." One of the demons told him.

"As nice as that idea is, it isn't possible at the moment. We must do as Zankou is doing." Vinarus pointed out. "Weaken them and force them to withdraw. Then we can build our power and strike at them at our leisure."

"Then why not side with Zankou?" Another asked.

"Why have _you_ not sided with him?" Damien asked

"Because he holds his plans to himself and I wont serve somebody like that." The demon told them both.

"So you wish to know our plan?" Damien asked and was greeted with nervous silence. He decided to tell them to most of it, they looked nervous with the prospect but agreed with them and soon were shimmering out. The towering Temple behind them had definitely had an effect on their obedience just as Vinarus and Damien had known it would.

Damien glanced at Vinarus and they both shimmered to the surface. The place was ridiculously silent. Mortals lay about on the street sleeping as the Avatars reconstructed their characters and they would be easy targets if Damien wanted to use them. He spied a particular one that wasn't a mortal and motioned to Vinarus who looked at the demon and the two backed away as they heard the approaching two witches. Moments later Paige and Phoebe came around the corner of the street chatting together loudly as they glanced at all of the mortals. They were searching for hidden demons. Damien spread out an illusion to hide them both and both made sure to hide their emotions from the Empath not that either needed to really try.

The Sleeper demon reacted just as expected when it saw two witches to prey on and it leapt up and flung a fire ball at Paige who merely sent it flying back in a cloud of orbs. The demon exploded into flames and Vinarus barely covered his amusement.

"Well that was easy." Phoebe commented dryly.

"Actually I'd call it pathetic." Damien told them without dropping the illusion.

Both rounded on them but Damien had already moved away letting Vinarus slide in the opposite direction. "Damien!" Paige glared at empty space. "We were wondering when you'd turn up in all of this. We were beginning to hope somebody had killed you off."

"Ouch, I'm hurt!" Damien let his voice carry from an invisible illusion near to where Vinarus was before using his own voice. "I might just take that slight seriously."

Phoebe turned on Vinarus' position and Paige turned to Damien's. They were playing with them now. "Are you working for Zankou?" Phoebe asked though she didn't direct it anywhere in particular.

"Of course we're not." Damien chuckled.

"We?" Paige frowned.

"Yes." Vinarus whispered from only a metre to their sides making them jump. "We."

"You're the other one." Paige glared at empty space again.

"Oh, well done, Paige." Damien chuckled. "There may be hope for Good after all. Just as soon as we kill a few Avatars."

"You can't just kill Avatars!" Phoebe blurted.

"And why not?" Vinarus leered.

"Because they can't be overpowered just like that, you need a potion." Paige told them.

"Oh so they didn't tell you that the last time around Caete Ruin killed two of them, without the need for potions." Damien whispered silkily in Paige's ear and dodged silently out of the way of her swipe. "You've underestimated us again."

"So what do you want with us?" Phoebe asked.

"Bait." Damien said simply in Paige's other ear.

"Paige! Orb!" Phoebe said. Damien waved a hand and sent the youngest flying even as she grabbed her sister and tried to orb. Both appeared on the ground again rather dazed.

"I don't think so." Damien smirked as their illusions fell. He bent down and seized Phoebe and shimmered out just as Vinarus did the same to Paige.

The reappeared in the wastes around the Temple and both women scrambled away from them as soon as they could. They came up against a boulder and glanced around them. Damien had to hand it to them, they weren't all that scared. Then again it had only been Chris that had been scared of what he could do and that was because he had already known what he was capable of. Damien felt a stab of something in his chest at the thought of the man that had vanished from his senses back to his own time but he forced the feeling back to the small section of his mind where he piled all of his emotions. This was the life he wanted not some fanciful dream of the time-traveller's imagination.

"Where are we?" Phoebe asked.

"This is the Wastes of Caete Ruin." Damien took a side step so they could see the tall pyramidal Temple behind him with its four spiralling columns that circled it to meet above it where a large red and green crystal pyramid glowed with fire that lit the entire Wastes. "And that is the Temple of Caete Ruin. You should be honoured, you are the first mortals to lay eyes on it in a millennium."

"Oh yes." Paige rolled her eyes. "Highly honoured." She looked around presumably for something to attack him with.

"I wouldn't bother, that crystal feeds us more energy. You can't tire us out and you'd be hard pressed to do any damage to us especially by just throwing rocks at us." Damien laughed. He reached out and sent another telepathic shockwave and instantly a hundred demons appeared surrounding them. Damien glanced around at them all before looking down at the now worried looking sisters. "Not exactly an army of thousands like before but still decent enough for what I need."

"What are you going to do?" Paige asked.

"Lure an Avatar here and weaken it." Vinarus told them.

"Why not just kill these two now and be done with it?" A lower level demon asked and lurched forwards to close the gap between the ring of demons and their prisoners. Damien sighed and flicked his fingers in his general direction. The demon flew backwards head over heals back into the ranks of demons.

"Do shut up." Damien snarled. "They are not Avatars but they are fuelling them. Killing them would simply revert their powers to the Avatars disposal. Nor can they draw on the Avatars powers. Killing them achieves nothing."

"Except revenge for all they have done to us." An upper level demon spoke up this time Damien raised his hand and summoned a Fire Matrix.

"Are you questioning me?" He snarled. The demon backed up and hunched as he rapidly shook his head. Damien snuffed out the fire matrix and turned back to the sisters with a grin on his face. "Looks like your valiant elder sister is coming to the rescue and bringing her Avatar buddy along for the ride."

Moments later Piper and Leo appeared between Damien, Vinarus and Paige and Phoebe. They glanced around at the circle of a hundred demons and frowned. Damien had to hand it to them really since they didn't back down. Now that he was holding out an invitation anybody could enter the area until he closed it again and that wouldn't be until he had all of what he needed in place. Damien sent Piper flying back into her sisters with a wave of his hand and signalled to the other demons to attack.

They flung themselves forwards at Leo firing shots that he easily deflected back on the demons and only the upper level demons held out against him for long, keeping back and firing larger attacks that he couldn't defend against. Damien and Vinarus wove a web of magic around themselves to afford them protection against what was coming.

Lightning danced from Leo's hands and struck the floor, sunk into it before leaping out at twenty demons' feet obliterating them from existence. Piper flung herself into the battle and blew up several demons before Vinarus took her out with a wave of telekinetic power that smacked her into the rock her sisters were standing near.

It didn't take long before it happened. Green floating heads appeared around Leo and destroyed any demon too close. They morphed into a man and a woman in black clothing who half turned to look at the Temple and then at Leo and the sisters. "Get them out of here before our mission is lost. We have already expended too much to keep you alive." The man told Leo.

Damien chuckled loudly. "How easy it is to lure you here and weaken you."

The two new Avatars raised their hands towards Damien and fired bolts of lightning that struck Damien and Vinarus' shield and ricocheted off into the few remaining demons. They fired again and Damien and Vinarus raised their arms to reinforce the shield which barely held against the onslaught. It fell after the third and most powerful attack and Damien felt one of the bolts strike him in the chest even as Vinarus shimmered away.

Damien lifted himself to his feet and waved off the other demons who shimmered away. Damien firmly closed the door, trapping the Charmed Ones and the Avatars in the wastes like so many had been trapped before. The Avatars looked around in surprise knowing that they would have to expend even more power to punch out of the warding.

"A parting gift." Damien told them before creating two spinning Fire Matrixes which he flung into the air above the three Avatars before shimmering away with the words, "Until the next time we meet."

Seconds later they both exploded throwing the three Avatars in different directions and though unharmed the three didn't look at all pleased by it. They punched through the wards and the six left the Wastes rather more agitated then when they had arrived and severely weakened.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

****

Temple of Caete Ruin

Damien should have known it wasn't wise to anger a group as powerful as the Avatars, especially when they had the Charmed Ones helping them but it had been a pre-emptive strike knowing all along that the Avatars would have eventually come for them and tried to kill them. It was thus with shock that when they came for Damien the next day it was with all of the Avatars and they made no effort to actually kill him.

"It would take far to much energy, energy that we need at the moment." The man from the Wastes told him. "We have already lost a sister to the demon Zankou and we cannot afford a second loss."

Damien looked around and noted that the shorter woman from yesterday had indeed not shown up. "How?" Damien thought to ask even as he sent a telepathic thought out to Vinarus. A rather undemonic one telling him to run and to hide.

"A potion." The man told him uncaringly. "The last of it's kind we believe."

"I wont go down without a fight." Damien told them a fire matrix appeared above his hand.

"But we wont fight you." A familiar voice spoke up from behind him. Damien spun to face Leo and snarled. "It was the sisters idea from months ago to trap you in a timeless place but they couldn't summon the power to do it. Now with the Avatars' power behind it we can do it."

Damien lashed out in all directions but the Avatars weathered the telekinetic attack like it was a strong wind. He flung the fire matrix at Leo and the four Avatars around him helped him to destroy it half way across the room. The next fire matrix was detonated by Damien before they could explode it and Leo was sent flying backwards violently into the wall.

The surrounding Avatars began chanting and Damien instantly began to feel heavy. He struggled to summon another Fire Matrix but couldn't raise his arm to throw it. It began to spin violently as Damien turned it into a bomb. Like he had told them, he wouldn't go down without a fight. With a lurch of magic the bomb froze in time and Damien found himself encased in light that flowed from the floor and up into the ceiling on all sides of him. He locked eyes with Leo as the Elder-turned-Avatar stopped in front of his new cage.

Damien couldn't move any part of him, he couldn't breathe but they had underestimated him. They'd assumed his mind would be frozen in time as well but it wasn't. Damien didn't know how long it would take for him to breach the cage with his mind but one day he would and he knew where to start his revenge. On Leo.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

End Chapter


	4. Vengeance

Torn Between Sides

A/N; Ok, the time jump in this isn't like the 2000 years that I did in The Nuuruhuine but it's still almost fourteen years.

Chapter 4; Vengeance

**Temple of Caete Ruin - Thirteen and a half years later**

'_Damn, my muscles are going to need waking up after this.'_ Damien thought and not for the first time in so many years. He'd seriously lost track of how long he'd been trapped in the centre of the Temple where the damn Avatars had put him. His magic was for the most part utterly blocked from him. He couldn't shimmer out of his prison, he couldn't blast his way out. He couldn't even move within it.

He'd had three guests in the past decade or so though only one of them was even in the slightest bit welcome. The first had been a thoroughly unwelcome Barbas who seemed to have had a serious power boost and seemed to be looking for more. This had happened in the first part of his imprisonment and it proved one thing to Damien. Anyone that touched the outside of the crystallised light was burned and Barbas had had to throw himself backwards to avoid being completely engulfed.

Vinarus was his second guest shortly afterwards and he had tried for what seemed to be months to free Damien, whether to have an ally or through concern for Damien he didn't know. Vinarus' time in the Temple taught Harry one useful thing though. His body and magic was frozen in time but his mind wasn't and to Vinarus' shock, Harry was able to force his mind to stretch to the outside of the prison and he used his Telepathy to talk to Vinarus.

After Vinarus had given up on freeing Damien, he left the Temple to try to unite the Underworld under the Order of Caete Ruin. Damien begun to spread his mind further and further away from the prison, finding other Demons with his Telepathic powers. It was this way that he was first introduced to the new Source of All Evil. He was watching other Demons in the Underworld when he felt the familiar mind of Vinarus reach out to the Temple. Damien met the mind but he couldn't do anything from his prison even when another Demon managed to overcome Vinarus' defences and kill him.

At the last moment he felt magic flood towards him, shoved at him by Vinarus just before he was vanquished rather than letting it all go to the other Demon. Damien felt it pass through the prison and into his core even though he couldn't use it.

The movement of power wasn't unnoticed however since about half way through his imprisonment he was visited by the new Source of All Evil. Damien feigned ignorance to his arrival even though he could feel his powers against the outside of his prison trying to get into it and more importantly to Damien's powers. Damien could sense some of Vinarus' powers in the Demon and it irritated him. It was his duty to avenge the murder of another Caete Ruin Demon and one day he would. This new Source had made a mistake in showing his face to Damien and he'd regret it.

Damien slowly worked on his Telepathy after that. He couldn't use it to steal power but he could manipulate the Demons. He knew the world above him had changed, Demons, Witches and Magic weren't a secret anymore. The world all knew about them and feared them. Even good Witches were feared by normal mortals. All of that didn't concern Damien though, only his escape.

He'd worked out that when the external side of the prison was being attacked by the new Source of All Evil, time on the inside had shifted a miniscule fraction of a second. Damien had a plan and it took him almost seven years to accomplish. He used his Telepathy to slowly take control of Demons and bring them to the Temple and then forced them to attack the prison with all of their magic to shift time within the prison.

All he needed was a second and he'd get it even if he had to destroy hundreds or even thousands of Demons to get that single second. Each time a Demon attacked the prison outright it slowly killed them but finally after over thirteen years of imprisonment that single second passed within the crystal cell he was trapped in and his bomb exploded right next to him.

The prison shattered outwards even as Damien took the full force of his own Fire Matrix. The wave of fire and air sent him headlong out of the side of the Temple even as the top of the Pyramid building exploded.

He woke in pain what must have been hours later and forced himself to his feet. His whole left side was burnt by his own detonated Fire Matrix and he sagged to his knees. His fingers tore into the sand and stones of the ground as the pain welled within him and his nails bled as he clenched his fingers tearing tracks into the hard floor. He dipped his head down to the ground with a pained growl before shoving himself away from the ground.

He sat back on his knees as he looked up to the black sky and an animalistic cry of anguish, pain and fury ripped itself from his throat as his magic flooded out from him in every direction. One face was in his mind, imprinted over all of his pain. Leo Wyatt! That damn Elder turned Avatar that had done this to him.

He ignored the small pleading voice that echoed dimly in the back of his mind, throwing it behind walls of fire and fury.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Halliwell Manor**

Christopher Halliwell, a thirteen year old eighth grader and magical son of one of the legendary Charmed Ones, arched up in his sleep as waves of anguish, pain and fury flooded the house. In his dream he saw a kneeling man surrounded in exploding air as he slowly burnt within the flames. Even in this nightmare Chris seemed to understand that this was representative to what had happened and not what was going to happen. The man cried out in fury and Chris got a look at his face and knew he was a Demon but beyond that he didn't know who he was. Most of his features were marred by blood and torn flesh.

Chris jerked up in his bed and fell out onto the floor. Wyatt groaned from across the room at the loud thump of Chris hitting the floor in the tangle of his sheets. Chris stood but stumbled back to his knees as a premonition seized control of him. He gasped as he saw a trio of Fire Matrixes hovering around a cage with his father locked inside. The Demon from his nightmare stepped out of the shadows but with a jerk he saw himself crying over his mother's dead body.

Suddenly he was back in his bedroom gasping on the floor. He knew with a Seer's instinct that the first half of his premonition had been of the future but the second half had been a future that had already happened once and that was what confused him the most.

He darted first to his parents' room at the end of the hall and then, after not finding them there, he went down to the kitchen looking for them. He found not just them but his Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Coup.

"Chris!" Phoebe took one look at him and crossed the room to pull him into a hug. Chris hadn't realised he looked that bad. "What did you see honey?"

"A man surrounded in flames crying out in pain." Chris said weakly.

"The same as I did." Phoebe pulled away and stood up and looked at the others. "He saw Damien, he's badly hurt but he's free and he's angry. His magic must have alerted every powerful Demon and Seer for miles."

"There's nothing we can do about it." Piper shook her head as she gathered Chris into her arms. "It was definitely a vision of the past?"

"Yes." His Aunt told his mother. Chris pulled away from his mother and glanced between his father and mother carefully. "What is it, honey?"

They all turned to look at them. "I saw that in a nightmare. I woke up and before I could get out of my room I had a premonition. Two actually." Chris told them. "I saw Dad surrounded in hovering Fire Matrixes and that Demon from the nightmare and then it changed to a strange one of mom dead and me crying and alone."

His voice broke and he knew he was about to start crying. His mom grabbed him in a hug and soothed him. He looked up and saw his Aunt crouched beside him offering him her hand. He nodded and concentrated on what he had seen. He was used to it since most of the time he couldn't talk about what he was forced to witness and she would take that task for him. He had to relive the premonition but he felt like some weight had been lifted from his shoulder. He wouldn't be the only person responsible for remembering every detail that could help.

"He saw Leo about to be killed by Damien." Phoebe sighed and sat on the chair. "And I think he saw what happened the first time around. He saw the Chris we met crying over you, Piper, after you were killed. It was strange."

"And horrifying." Piper sighed. "Coup, can you go ask the Elders what they know, tell them what they saw."

Coup nodded looking worriedly at his wife before vanishing in his red glow. Chris frowned at his Aunt confused over what she had just said. '_The Chris they met?'_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Two weeks later**

Damien was a patient Demon and it was rather easy for him to hide away in the depths of the Underworld in places that even other Demons rarely went. The Temple had been destroyed and without its power he couldn't be sure of safety there and he knew for fact that the new Source had ordered his capture. In fact it had taken four dead Demons to prove that to Damien before he'd come down here.

Unfortunately it took more concentration down here to sense what was going on but he'd found a new way to get information while in his prison. He could use his telepathy to connect with other, weaker, Demons and either draw the information from their minds or in the case of the Demon in front of him now, find out if they would be willing to serve him and then bring them down to him.

This shape shifter had been useful to him and for the time being he could trust the Demon to serve his own interests. He'd had a falling out with the new Source and for the time being could act as a spy for Damien.

"It's as you said." Hanar spat, "The Source is still searching for you. He's increased the reward. He'd probably even pardon me for bringing you in."

"Careful Hanar." Damien stirred from the rock he was sitting cross-legged on. "I might start to think that you weren't trustworthy enough."

Hanar frowned but shook his head. "I said probably. I'm not willing to take that risk."

Damien grunted since he didn't really like talking at the moment since the left side of his face was covered in rather painful scars and quite a few still bleeding cuts. His hood was up to cover this damage and also so he could act as the only surviving member of Caete Ruin and still keep his identity a secret. "The Witches?" He demanded shortly.

"They don't have a clue about where you are or what you're doing." Hanar told him candidly. "Why are you so worried about them anyway?"

Damien glared at the Demon from under his hood. "They'll try to kill me eventually, I'm sure of it." Damien spoke simply. "And you'd better hope you're still on my good side when they do or I might not save you from them."

Hanar almost looked ready to insult Damien but obviously thought better of it. Damien dismissed him with a wave of his hand and settled back to meditation. He was waiting for two massive fights, either of which could mean his death. One would be against the Source on the Demon's time and the other against the Charmed Ones at the time of his own choosing.

He wasn't a fool though. He wasn't about to start a fight with the Charmed Ones until he had dealt with the Source. Unfortunately he'd announced to the entire Demon and Witch Worlds of San Francisco that he was free again. Not his best idea but he had been wrought with pain and fury at the time and now that he had calmed down a bit he could feel the pain of betrayal inside his chest. He'd saved Leo's son and the Elder had repaid him by locking him away in a crystal prison for a decade and a half. Damien had been forced to use the Elder-Avatar to weaken the whole Avatar race but he hadn't been trying to kill him as such and as an Elder he couldn't have been killed anyway.

Damien stood from the rock and shimmered away from his temporary hideaway. It was time to deal with the new Source but there was something he wanted to see first. He who had done this to him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**San Francisco**

Damien had to grin as he shimmered into the middle of Golden Gate Park. There was a startled scream from a nearby couple before the man dived over the woman to shield her from the nasty Demon that had appeared. Damien chuckled. "Don't flatter yourself." He remarked dryly. "Get out of here!"

His strained and gravely voiced seemed to do the trick and the two mortals scampered away leaving their picnic behind them. Damien stood calmly and focused on his Telepathy, searching for the one he wanted. It wouldn't be long, according to Hanar, before something came searching for him after those two mortals reported him to somebody. Damien shrugged and prepared to shimmer to his next destination when a small metal contraption darted out from behind the trees to his right. It paused about four feet from him and a beam of green light flashed from it's front.

It seemed to hover on it's own and Damien wondered briefly about what other technologies the mortals had discovered in the last decade or so. It beeped out an angry sounding noise before turning to fly off but Damien had other plans. He grabbed it with his Telekinesis and with a violent gesture he crushed it into a small box. A dim buzzing sound made him look to his right where he saw a second of the things. He sent a Fire Matrix at it almost as a last minute decision but it dodged just before he shimmered out.

He reappeared in a shopping mall in downtown San Francisco. Screams erupted from around him and he snorted in amusement and glanced up at the screen to his right. There was a picture of a cloaked and dangerous looking Demon on it. A message scrolled continually across the front. "All forms of magic forbidden. Demons are prohibited in this area." It carried on in this way, warning people about the hazards of Witches, Warlocks and magic in general.

He actually laughed at that one and walked up to the edge of the walkway. Apart from the original people running from him there wasn't much of a fuss over his arrival. He looked down over the side at the milling people below in the food court. A family were sitting at one of the tables eating fast food but he was only interested in the two adults. Piper Halliwell and Leo Wyatt, the two people he could actually blame for his imprisonment.

"Put your hands over your head!" A voice shouted from behind him.

"**This is a public announcement." **A voice sounded from the speakers around the mall. "**A Demon has been sighted on the upper concourse. Please leave the building in an orderly manner. The situation will be dealt with."**

Damien burst out laughing though it hurt his face and chest to do it. "The situation is being dealt it?" He asked the trio of armed men pointing guns at him. "I'm guessing those aren't bullets."

"These are armed with potions!" The lead guard told him. "Now place your hands behind your head."

"Er…no." Damien flicked one of his hands and the trio flew backwards across the concourse and through one of the glass windows of a shop. Damien shook his head and turned to look back down at the two he was here to see. An explosion smacked into his chest but luckily it was his less wounded right side. He turned to the right to see Piper Halliwell staring at him.

"He didn't exploded!" Piper worried her lip and Damien chuckled. He could tell from the blast that her powers had seriously grown in thirteen years but they still weren't enough to kill him. "Paige!"

Damien glanced around but figured she was calling her sister for help. He sent her flying backwards. "Piper, you should know that you can't defeat me alone." Damien chuckled again and watched as Piper's eyes widened.

A small explosion ripped into his right side again but it wasn't Piper this time. Damien looked to the right and saw one of the guards forcing himself to his feet. He'd fired a potion at him but his arm stung more because of the impact than the potion. "Idiot. What do you think Piper? Do I kill him?"

But Piper had shrunk back further into the crowd. Damien glanced at her, she was hiding from the guards. He smirked at her before shimmering away. His task here was done. It was interesting that even Piper Halliwell was worried about being spotted by mortals. It didn't bother Damien though since he didn't have a separate life to uphold.

He reappeared on the top of the second highest skyscraper in San Francisco. The only reason he didn't go for the tallest was because it had a spire on the top. His arrival was very magically noisy. Chances are anybody scrying for Demons in the area would have traced him instantly and he knew that every Demon in the Underworld of San Francisco had heard him also.

It was time to set a challenge. He shut his eyes and reached out, turning his Telepathy on full blast. "To the new Source of All Evil, murderer of a Demon of the Order of Caete Ruin. Come before me now and answer for this treachery." His words would probably be heard by every magically sensitive person within ten miles.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Halliwell Manor**

Chris stared at his parents in shock as the voice in his head faded away into a series of echoes. For some reason he could picture the Sat Tower in downtown San Francisco. "Mom? Who was that?"

"A Demon, honey." Piper told him with a rather faked reassuring tone. His Aunt Paige appeared with Aunt Phoebe on her arm. "Did you two hear that as well?"

"Mom!" His older brother, Wyatt and younger sister, Melinda, ran into the room. Melinda looked rather pale. "We heard a voice!"

"We all did, Wyatt." Piper told him soothingly.

"Mom, what's happening!?" Wyatt demanded.

"We don't know yet, Wyatt." Piper countered and motioned the three children to take seats around the table. Leo pushed away from the counter top to hug Melinda who was shaking ever so slightly.

"Was it the Demon from my nightmare?" Chris asked his Aunt Phoebe.

"Yes dear." Phoebe smiled at him. "His name's Damien Caete Ruin, we met him a long time ago before you were born. He was trapped in time just before your first birthday. We didn't think we'd have to deal with him again."

"I don't think we should involve them in this anymore, Phoebe." Piper narrowed her eyes at his Aunt. "Wyatt, Chris, Melinda, go do your homework."

"But mom!" Chris complained.

"No." Piper ordered and pointed at the door. Chris grumbled but followed his brother and sister out of the kitchen and into the hallway. He didn't follow them up the stairs though and slipped into the broom closest at the bottom of the stairs that ran along the kitchen wall. He settled down against the wall to listen. He'd had the nightmare and the premonition about this Demon after all, it was only right that he was involved.

"Wasn't that a bit harsh, Piper?" Phoebe asked. "We all get premonitions for a reason and it was his premonition."

"The Elders said that almost half of the sensitive Witches in San Francisco had that nightmare." Piper pointed out.

"I was talking about the premonition he had afterwards." Phoebe told her bluntly.

"I don't want my children going anywhere near that Demon." Piper said protectively. "Especially not Chris. He doesn't need to get involved in Damien again."

Chris actually smacked his head into the shelf as he bolted upright and heard a scuffle in the kitchen. He orbed away not wanting to get caught. When had he ever gotten involved before?

Chris sat on his bed ignoring Wyatt who was staring out of the window. "You were eavesdropping!" Wyatt accused. "What did they say?"

"Nothing. I hit my head and they heard me." Chris partially lied.

"You're such a dweeb!" Wyatt told him. Chris glared at the teasing tone, his brother was always calling him something along the lines of an over sensitive weakling.

"What are you watching anyway?" Chris asked.

"There's a massive fire in the middle of town." Wyatt told him.

"What!?" Chris shot up and to the window. Wyatt shoved him sideways but Chris just shoved back and squeezed up to the window. A thick column of smoke was rising from the Sat Tower and several helicopters were flying around. As they watched a massive black helicopter rose up from the top of another tower and thundered across the scene before a small projectile flew up and it exploded in mid air. "Woah!"

"Not scared are you, Chrisy?" Wyatt teased.

"Shut it." Chris grumbled. They watched as the smoke grew thicker and blacker until a few moments later there was a massive thump of air that rattled the glass in their bedroom window and a cloud of what seemed to be dust flew from the building. Even Wyatt, supposedly untouchable, flinched as flames erupted from every window and the building exploded.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Sat Tower - Ten minutes ago**

Damien strolled the length of the square edge of the building with fire dripping from his hand as he slowly set light to the edge of the roof. Smoke rose slowly up into the air before being caught by the breeze and blown off to the north. He knew he was being over-dramatic but it was fun.

The sound of a multitude of shimmering echoed behind him as well as the distinct crackling of flame travel. It was an impressive way to travel but hardly more effective than shimmering and rather more obvious. It didn't make this Source more powerful than Damien either.

Damien turned to face the eight Demons standing in the centre of the rooftop. "You decided to show then." Damien smirked from under his hood. "Not that you had much choice. Your escort may leave."

"And why would they do that?" The Source asked. He was taller than Damien and much broader with close cut black hair and sharp black eyes that glinted with power. Damien tried not to laugh, he could do the whole burning eyes thing if he wanted he just didn't see the point.

"Because whoever wins this fight will probably be too weak to fend off your goons." Damien snapped instead. "Use your common sense!"

Damien glanced at the nervous looking Demons and struck out with his Telepathy and started using their nervous emotions to feed off of their powers. A handy little thing with Telepathy. Their eyes widened in horror and as one they shimmered out. "What did you do?"

"You're a bit new to this it seems." Damien laughed horribly. "Do you even know what I am?"

"A Caete Ruin." The Source spat. "The last of an endangered clan."

"Well then you have me at a disadvantage, Sheriza." Damien commented dryly. "I don't know your origin. Care to enlighten me?"

Sheriza sneered at him and summoned an Energy Ball and flung it at Damien. Damien used his Telekinesis to throw it away from him. A wave of air shoved at him and Damien flipped over and sent a wave of Telekinesis back at the Source. Magic throbbed through the air in time with the sound of the rotor blades of helicopters as they circled high above the fight.

Damien didn't throw his own Fire Matrix until about three minutes into the fight and as he detonated it almost half a metre in front of the Source the fight stepped up to a whole new level. They stood on different sides as they sent Energy Balls and Fire Matrixes against each other. Nine times out of ten the shots were intercepted halfway through but twice his Fire Matrixes exploded against the Source and once he had to snuff out an Energy Ball with his hand.

Damien shimmered across the battle just as a large black helicopter burst through the smoke above them and two potion shots landed where he'd been standing. He reappeared behind the Source and wrenched the air with his hand sending the Demon straight through the floor before he could react. He sent a Fire Matrix after him as his Telekinesis forced him down through the floors to the bottom of the building and held him from transporting out.

Pain blossomed across his left side as a potion shot hit him over his scarring and he glared up at the helicopter even as he regained his concentration to keep the Source trapped on the way down. With a rather blunt wave of his hand a Fire Matrix streaked up into the air and slammed into the passenger door of the black helicopter. There was the briefest pause before it exploded outwards and began to sink down towards the street below them.

A blast of magic welled up from below him as well as a cry from the recently vanquished Source. Damien fired another Fire Matrix down through the hole in the building and turned it into a bomb before shimmering away to the taller tower four hundred metres away, reappearing in time to see the entire building explode outwards and begin to sink towards the ground. Damien sagged down to one knee in exhaustion. It was a good thing that Vinarus had sent him some of his power or he would have been out matched.

He reached out with his Telepathy again. "And the Order of Caete Ruin is avenged."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Damien's Lair - Two weeks later**

"I don't honestly care what you think." Damien pointed out as, once again, a Demon complained about attacking one of the Charmed Ones. "You'll do what I ordered or I'll kill you myself. Slowly."

The eight Demons stared at him in hatred but shimmered away without comment. He didn't really care what they thought about him but they'd do as he ordered. He'd made himself rather famous by killing the Source and even though he'd denied the task of taking up the role he hadn't been attacked by any Demon in the last two weeks. He'd been attacked once on the surface by a task force of mortals but they hadn't even been able to scratch him.

His plan was simple and that was the only reason the other Demons would carry out their part. Plus it was him that was taking on the larger risk of confronting an actual Charmed One. He was only interested in capturing Leo but he didn't want all three of the Charmed Ones attacking him.

He appeared first in Phoebe's house and looked around at the three girls and the two adults. He didn't recognise the Cupid but all three girls were part Cupid so he must be Phoebe's husband.

"Now remember girls," Phoebe was saying. "It's your Cousin's birthday today so be extra nice to him."

"Phoebe!" The Cupid looked up around the kitchen in shock. "There's something here."

"Something?" Phoebe looked at her husband.

"There's a lot of hate here." The Cupid said.

"You look after the girls and I'll go call Paige." Phoebe jumped to her feet. Damien reached out with his Telepathy to plant an idea it her head.

"Why not call her from here?" The Cupid frowned.

"I'd rather not attract any more attention from whatever it is." Phoebe said playing into Damien's suggestion. "I'll do it from the attic."

Damien followed her out of the room regardless of the Cupid's shouts after her. Just as she got to the top of the stairs Damien dropped his illusion and appeared in front of her. The shock and surprise would probably have done the job since he had lowered his hood to show his scarred face but he gave her a small nudge with his Telekinetic powers to send her tumbling back down the stairs regardless. She cried out in shock as she fell and Damien paused only long enough to cushion her fall to prevent her from being killed since that would put this fight into a whole other league and he didn't want that…yet.

He shimmered away just in time to hear the Cupid telling his daughters to call for Paige. Unfortunately the other Demons would be keeping her too busy with her four charges for her to be of much assistance. At least now the Power of Three was out of the question.

He shimmered into the middle of the street outside the Halliwell Manor and tilted his head to the side as he heard the distinct sounds of a birthday song being sung. He remembered Phoebe telling her daughters that it was their cousin's birthday and that they should be nice to 'him' so she must have meant either Wyatt or Chris. He felt a stab of pain in his chest as he remember that Chris would be younger now. Not his Chris though.

'_Wait? When did he become my Chris?' _He got a clear flashback of standing in waves of red mist in Damien's Lair as Chris told him that he had loved him. He shook his head clear and let the floods of pain be washed away by anger as he heard Leo congratulating one of his sons.

He cast an illusion over himself and shimmered inside just as Leo stood form the table with a stack of plates in his hand. "Melinda, grab those others for me would you?" He asked the small girl as he walked out with them into the kitchen. Damien followed the man into the kitchen without being able to keep the glare from his expression. Leo staked the plates he was carrying on the counter and turned in time to see Damien appear in front of him.

His eyes widened as he took in the scarring over the familiar face. "What? You didn't expect me?" Damien cracked a pained smile. "Or did you not think I'd remember you caused this?"

"Daddy?" The small voice behind him made Damien spin around but instead of turning his back on Leo he spun around the man and drew a knife from his belt and grabbed the man from behind.

"Please don't hurt her!" Leo begged him. Damien looked down at the long haired girl who's hands were trembling so much he thought she might drop the small stack of plates any moment now.

"I don't care about them anymore." Damien hissed in the man's ear just as the plates slipped from her hands and crashed onto the ceramic floor. He shimmered out just as Piper came sprinting into the room.

"No!" Piper's voice followed him through the air but there was nothing she could do.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Damien's Lair**

Damien threw Leo into a wooden cage with a flick of his wrist and sealed the door. It flashed blue as a shield went up trapping the man inside. He then summoned three Fire Matrixes and let them hang in the air around the cage as they slowly spun. "What are they for?" Leo asked him.

"They'll detonate if I die." Damien told him simply. "Call it insurance."

"Why don't you just kill me?" Leo looked partly resigned. Damien stared at him for a moment before pulling his hood up over his head.

"I want you to suffer and unfortunately your cavalry will arrive soon and I don't want you escaping in the fight." Damien told him.

"Are you going to hurt them?" Leo asked as he straightened to his full height in the cage.

"I didn't plan on it but then again I didn't plan on losing thirteen odd years of my life either." Damien told him.

"How did you get out?" Leo asked.

"Oh that?" Damien laughed nastily. "You and your Avatar friends forgot to check that I was mentally frozen as well as physically. I could still use my telepathy and managed to weaken the shields by having Demons attack it enough to let a second pass on the inside."

"You detonated your own Fire Matrix?" Leo frowned. "Is that why you're hurt?"

"Hurt!" Damien swore at him. "Have you ever almost been half blown up?"

"How did you survive?" Leo stared at him.

"I'm quite a bit more powerful now than I was when I went into that prison. You see the Source killed Vinarus but not before Vinarus gave me half of his powers." Damien chuckled. "Seems that little boost gave me enough."

"You're more powerful?" Leo looked worried.

"By about a third I suppose." Damien told him uncaringly. "I don't think your time travelling son thought about that did he. Then again he only wanted to see me turned to good. I wonder if he'll be disappointed to find me still Evil _and_ more powerful when he comes back."

"Maybe you should listen to him." Leo suggested. "Turn Good, it must still be inside you."

"He never told you what turned me last time did he?" Damien laughed at the man. "He wanted to kill me for killing Piper but he couldn't do it. According to him I found out who he was and lost it. Nearly killed Wyatt by the sounds of it too."

"What are you going to do when they arrive?" Leo asked. "They'll overpower you, even without Wyatt and Chris."

"Chris?" Damien came up short and shook his head. "Oh that one. I wouldn't worry. I took on the Sisters three times before and it'll just be Piper this time."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, didn't the Cupid tell you?" Damien smirked at him from under the hood. "Phoebe had a small accident and fell down the stairs just before I kidnapped you. I expect she'll be busy in the hospital right now since Paige is too busy trying to keep her charges alive to go heal her."

"Did you do all that?"

"Of course I did." Damien snapped. "I'm not an idiot. I've fought against beings worse than your precious Charmed Ones. I know that the best chance to survive is to split you all up."

Damien crossed the room and focused briefly to lower the protections around the Lair. They both felt a shiver go through them as the magic fell. "Oh, and just to warn you. If any of them come too close to the cage the Matrixes will explode. You saw what happened to the Sat Tower two weeks ago? Well these are just as powerful."

Damien knew that the entire mortal world was looking for him because of that but he'd never gone above ground without his hood up so they didn't know what he looked like. Leo was about to plead with him again when a cloud of orbs filled the air on the left of the Lair and Piper and a blond haired boy formed out of it.

He didn't give them a chance to attack him and thrust his hand forwards just as Leo cried out a warning. His Telekinesis sent them flying away from each other but a second later he felt a huge pain in his chest as Piper tried to blow him up.

"He's more powerful, Piper!" Leo shouted. "Just go!"

"Charming." Damien snorted in amusement.

"Excalibur!" The boy snapped out and Damien realised he must be Wyatt. He'd heard enough about him being the King of Magic or whatever.

"That's not going to help you against me." Damien concentrated for a moment and a few seconds later a broad sword shimmered into his hand. The red ruby of Godric Gryffindor's sword glinted in the fires that lit the room. He held it up between him and Wyatt even as the boy attacked him and his mother blasted him again.

Damien blocked the explosion with the sword before spinning up under the boy's swipe and sending Excalibur flying across the room. He spun back to face his two opponents but the boy just smirked at him. "Excalibur!" The sword flew from the floor back into his hand.

Damien rolled his eyes as the boy lunged at him again. He felt magic pressing down on him and Wyatt seemed to speed up. Piper was trying to freeze him. He twitched his hands and sent the Sword of Gryffindor flying across the room at Piper before he shimmered out of her spell.

She froze the sword a foot in front of her but Damien shimmered back into existence beside the sword and in one smooth motion he grabbed it, circled her and pressed the edge against her throat. "Mom!" Wyatt yelled.

"Careful boy." Damien warned as he saw the determination to attack flash across his eyes. "I used this sword when I was twelve to kill a Basilisk and after that it'll always hold a trace of Venom on it. One tiny cut and she's dead in minutes."

"I don't believe you!" Wyatt snapped.

"Well as long as you're that confident." Damien told him snidely and moved his hand as if he was about to cut Piper's throat.

"No!"

"Smart kid. Now banish the sword and go stand over by the wall there."

Wyatt glared at him but muttered under his breath and the sword vanished in a small trail of orbs. The boy backed up against the wall and Damien gestured at one of the shelves cut into the rock above them. Six crystals flew from the wall and settled around the kid in a circle.

Wyatt glared at him again and reached out a hand. He cried out and cradled his hand as a cage snapped up around him and burnt his finger tips. "Exactly how old are you, kid?" Damien asked genuinely interested though he didn't let go of Piper.

"Fifteen, almost sixteen." Wyatt frowned at him. "But I'm old enough to kill Demons."

Damien chuckled and shoved Piper away from him. He didn't fear her powers but he gave her a warning look. Her husband was surrounded in Fire Matrixes and her eldest son was trapped in a crystal web. "I wasn't going to say that. I beat up you mother when I was only seventeen and killed a Dark Lord."

"You? Killed a Dark Lord?" Wyatt scoffed.

"Don't get cocky, kid. Your mother and Aunts were there." Damien snapped. "Now, how about we get on with this?"

"And what exactly is _this_?" Piper asked and snapped a hard look at her son to stay silent.

"Your husband took away part of my life and since I can't get it back I'm going to take it from him." Damien shrugged.

"This is just for that?" Piper asked.

Damien growled and pulled back his hood. "Just for _that_?" He asked her. "You know what, Chris was right. The chances of me turning Good vanished along with his future."

"Mom, what's he talking about?" Wyatt frowned.

"You can't tell me they don't know?" Damien laughed as they saw Leo and Piper's worried faces. He turned to Wyatt. "So I'm just another Demon to you am I, Wyatt? So you don't know I saved your brother's life and to repay it he freezes me in time for thirteen years." He said the last while gesturing at Leo.

"You're insane!" Wyatt told him.

"Well that never stopped anyone before." Damien shrugged. "I think we've talking for long enough don't you?"

"Don't you even dare!" Piper snapped and in a smooth motion she flung a potion at him. Damien snapped out with his hand and one of the Fire Matrixes guarding Leo flung itself into the path of the potion and the shockwave threw Damien back a few steps and shoved Piper right back into the wall.

"Stupid." Damien commented blandly as he looked down at her prone form. Damien shook his head to rid himself of a bout of dizziness. "Who did I care about?" He found himself asking without thought.

"_Me."_ _Chris sighed. "You got to know me after saving me from a pair of Wizards but I already knew who you were. I'd watched you kill her when I was still a child and you didn't make the connection."_

Damien shook his head again ignoring the confused look he was getting from Piper as she tried to stand up against the far wall. "Are you here, Chris?" Damien snapped looking first at Wyatt and then at Leo. "Did I love you?" He whispered too low for any of them to hear him.

_Chris recoiled. "You did and I did love you but you didn't want to do anything about it because of what you'd done to me."_

"You're here somewhere, Chris." Damien sent his telepathy out and found another two minds in the back of the Lair. "And the Cupid."

The Cupid stepped out of the shadows with Chris at his side. Chris was shaking as he held a potion bottle in his hand. Damien froze up and glanced at Piper. "He didn't change everything then." Damien spoke more to himself than anyone else.

_Chris looked dreadful. "You killed my mother."_

Damien recoiled in reality as the memories buzzed around him. "I killed Piper?" Damien continued the conversation in his head and raised his hand and summoned another Fire Matrix.

"No!" The small boy launched himself forwards and Damien could only watch as he lunged at his mother to cover her.

_Chris glared at the ground because he didn't want to glare at Damien. "Please don't do it this time. I can't lose her twice."_

"I can't kill her twice." Damien shook his head. "Maybe I can make that promise to him after all."

Piper and Leo looked at him in horror as they worked out what he meant. Chris was staring at him defiantly and he threw the potion before his mother could stop him. Damien flung out his wrist and the bottle snapped out to the side and smacked into the outside of Leo's cage and disintegrated. He snuffed out the last of the Fire Matrixes. "You don't have any reason to hate me in this life time, Kid." Damien told Chris.

"Stay away from him." Piper put herself between Damien and Chris. Damien gave her a sad look before backing away and pulling up his hood to cover his face.

"Happy birthday, kid." Damien muttered before shimmering from the Lair and across the globe.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

End Chapter


	5. Telepathy

Torn between Sides

Chapter 5; Telepathy

**Underworld - Immediately afterwards.**

Damien shimmered into a deep cavern in the depths of the Underworld under San Francisco not bothering to cover his tracks. He didn't think Piper would try to follow him, not at the moment. Especially since it would take the power of her entire family to break Leo out of that enchanted cage.

A series of shimmers spread out from around him and Damien found himself encircled by the eight Demons that he'd sent to attack Paige's charges. Damien still wore his hood so didn't have to be worried about losing his anonymity. "You look dreadfully defeated." The most powerful of the Upper level Demons snorted at him.

"A look you are probably well versed in." Damien retorted without even turning his head to look at the Demon.

"You promised the death of a Charmed One." He glared at Damien.

"No I didn't. I said I was going to kill Leo Wyatt. The Elder-Avatar." Damien pointed out still not looking at him.

"And did you?" He heard the sound of an Energy Ball burst into existence behind him. "Look at me you coward!"

"Coward?" Damien growled. "This from the one who was scared to face a Charmed One?"

"You failed and now you'll pay. You can give your powers to somebody who'll put them to good use!" The Demon threw the Energy but Damien was faster. He could have just shimmered away but thought he'd make a point instead. A Telekinetic wave burst away from him like an exploding volcano and all eight Demons were sent flying. The one that had insulted Damien died when his own Energy Ball bounced off of the wave and struck its own caster in the chest.

"Anybody else?" Damien asked calmly. He still hadn't turned around and didn't even react as the remaining seven Demons leapt to their feet. As one they shimmered away. "Cowards." Damien grimaced but was glad he'd had a chance to vent his emotions.

He covered his tracks much better as he shimmered from the cavern in search of a new home. Eventually he found himself back at his original Lair, the one he'd used as Damien beforehand. He didn't think that Damien should return just yet even though he was famous for his work in destroying the Wizards but he liked this Lair even if he wouldn't let himself dwell on the reason even as he looked at the red mist that crept up on one side of the cave like a sea.

He spent days building up the wards before spending even longer immersed in his own mind sorting out his emotions. Sealing away a lot of the emotions which would endanger him. He'd deal with his feelings for _his_ Chris as and when he could but it wasn't something that was pleasant for him. He hadn't even really thought he'd loved him then. All he knew was that he had at one point and had only gotten close just before Chris had left.

So did he even love the Witch? It was all far too confusing for him. Not to mention painful. Being a Demon was easier.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**A year later**

It took Damien months of work to smooth over his emotions until he was satisfied that if somebody pissed him off he wouldn't begin an all out war and afterwards he re-emerged as the Demon of Caete Ruin that so many Demons were so utterly afraid of. Rumours spread like venom through blood about what he had planned. He was sent messages from the few Upper level Demons who could theoretically stand up to him, all included an option to work for them and a threat about what would happen to him if he tried to kill them. Damien killed all of the messengers.

From there Damien's life began to quiet down. His lair was never found by other Demons and his Damien persona made his own come back to the Demonic Underworld after a supposed thirteen years of travel on the Asian continent. A rumour began to spread that Damien was working for the Demon of Caete Ruin but neither Damien nor Caete Ruin even gave that rumour credence.

Damien had also started to spend long periods on the surface though living amongst the mortals was impossible with their security systems as they were. He wasn't sure how the Witches managed to constantly hide from those flying sensor contraptions but whatever he tried only seemed to attract them and their military was never far behind.

Damien had also been worrying himself over his future. He didn't believe that his Chris really understood the way Damien felt about the world. He definitely knew about it all but the son of a Charmed One just couldn't understand life as Damien did even if his own brother had become the highest power on Earth and destroyed both worlds rather successfully. In the end, a year from the day he'd captured Leo, he made his first move against the Charmed Ones.

He sat on his plinth in the centre of his lair and linked his mind to the glowing red matrix of light that flickered around the roof of his cavern. A spell he'd given life to that amplified his own telepathic powers, his biggest advantage against other Demons. He easily found the nexus of power that the Halliwell Manor stood upon and the magic that it fed anybody who lived in the manor. It was like a raging fire to Damien and it made him wince to dive into it just as it had all those years ago.

This time though he wasn't just trying to locate one of the Charmed Ones but actually attacking one of their minds and the nexus seemed to register the threat to one of its self proclaimed charges. Damien gritted his teeth and slide inside the manor finding only a single occupant. Leo.

Damien hissed but stopped short of actually delving into the man's mind and turning it into unattractive sludge and merely backed out of the nexus' influence and waited. It was something he was very good at. Lingering over the world telepathically from the safety of his own Lair. Something he spent almost seventy percent of his time doing.

Leo left the safety of the house several hours later and got into his car and started through the surrounding suburbs towards a huge gathering of minds that could only be children at a school. Leo was joined by three other minds over the stretch of a few minutes and together the four returned to the Manor.

This time Damien plunged into the Manor and took up shop in the most familiar mind. So similar to the mind of his Chris in the past. He felt a stab of pain as the nexus tried to flood him with pain but it was forced to retreat as the magic flooded Chris' mind as well. Damien opened his eyes both physically and mentally and found himself looking out of Chris' eyes.

Thoughts were in a different place in the mind to where he hid and Damien had no control over what Chris said or did or even what he was thinking but he stayed with Chris as they were joined by the huge three branch family to celebrate his birthday. The day fifteen years after Gideon had stabbed his Chris and kidnapped Wyatt.

People thought that Wyatt was the powerful one since he was born on the day of a major magical phenomenon but Damien knew that Chris was powerful for a similar reason. When he'd been born they'd been in the middle of a major shift in worlds and just as Damien had been temporarily connected to his other half, Chris was permanently linked to his own evil twin. His magic was more a force designed to damage because of it and it made Chris into a serious enemy. He doubted the Charmed Ones or Leo had allowed that idea to come to them though. It was also probably why the other Chris had been attracted to Damien and his dark side in the first place but that was only stipulation.

Late in the evening Chris made his way down from his bedroom and walked boldly into the living room where his parents were sitting together playing a game of chess while the stereo played in the background. Wyatt had just spent the only day in existence being perfectly nice to him and although that was nice Chris had been permitted instead to think about what had happened a whole year ago.

"Mom, dad?" Chris asked and the two looked at him with pleased smiles on their faces. "Last year, you said you'd explain more when I was older."

The smiles vanished and Damien couldn't help but grin maliciously. "Honey, it really isn't that much. It was just a Demon that wanted to hurt us. Just like the hundreds of others."

"He's different." Chris told his mom stubbornly. "The others couldn't have managed it but we all know he could have. But he didn't. I just want to know why."

"Chris." Leo stood and came to stand in front of Chris, and unknowingly Damien, "It's a long story, going back to before you were born. I helped to trap him in time and he wanted revenge. We don't know why he let us go but you saw he was insane. More so than any other Demon we've met."

Damien felt fury at those words and Chris flinched violently. The nexus flooded Damien with pain and a little of it got to Chris. Damien calmed himself quickly and the nexus, no longer sensing a bad enough threat to Leo stopped it's attack. Damien would have to come up with a better method next time he tried something like this.

When Damien reopened the connection Chris was being held up by Leo. Evidently his pain had been clear to the two adults who were looking at him in confusion. "Can't you tell me more? How did he know me and Uncle Coup were there?"

"Chris!" Piper almost snapped. "It's really nothing to worry about. If he shows up again we'll deal with him but he hasn't even tried in a whole year now so he's nothing to worry about."

Damien laughed maliciously at these words even as Chris rather despondently left the room to get ready for bed. As soon as Chris was on the verge of falling to sleep Damien slipped into his dream and took it over both freezing him in his sleep and changing it from pleasant bliss to an actual dream.

Damien turned in the dream of his Lair to face the newly arrived Chris. He was taller than Damien remembered him and stood staring at Damien in confusion and a little fear. Damien was wearing his hood up to hide his scarred face, still showing signs of that near fatal explosion. He normally cast an illusion over it when he went out as Damien but today he didn't feel the need to show Chris what he looked like.

Chris in comparison was wearing what his own subconscious knew he was wearing in reality. Light cotton trousers under a bare chest. "Who the hell are you?" Chris cried and took a stumbling step backwards folding his arms across his chest defensively.

"Can't you guess?" Damien asked. His voice once more what it had been so long ago. It was the most healed of him with only the slightest taint of the damage it had undergone.

"I can guess you're a Demon easily enough!" Chris snapped. His hands flew out but nothing happened.

Damien laughed and took a few steps to clear the red mist. "Interest place this isn't it? No magic. From either of us."

"It has to let you do magic if you brought me here." Chris pointed out and took another step back until he hit the wall. He'd realise at some point that he couldn't feel the floor or the wall at his back.

"I didn't bring you anywhere. You're still in your bed." Damien assured him.

"Then you brought my mind here." Chris glared at him and Damien laughed. He'd obviously realised he could feel the wall behind him since he pushed into it searching for reassurance.

"Your mind is still in your body. My mind is just there with you." Damien informed him. "I've been in your head since you came home from school this afternoon. Happy birthday by the way."

"You're the one that caused that pain when I was talking to my parents?" Chris spat.

"Actually that was the nexus under the house attacking me because I felt anger towards your father when he called me insane." Damien chuckled.

Chris' eyes snapped open as he realised who Damien was. "You're that Demon that captured my family last year."

"For the second time it seems." Damien shrugged.

"What are you talking about?" Chris narrowed his eyes.

"Oh relax, Chris." Damien snapped and sat on his plinth with folded legs. "If I was going to hurt you I would have done it already." Chris didn't deem to respond but he didn't move from against the wall either. "I can't believe you let your parents get away without explaining who I am."

"And who is that exactly?" Chris asked sarcastically.

"Damien Caete Ruin." Damien told him in introduction. "We knew each other before you were born."

"Is that supposed to make sense?" Chris asked waspishly. Damien smiled though Chris couldn't see it.

"If your parents didn't spend all their time lying to you then it would make perfect sense." Damien decided to have a little fun with Leo and Piper. Damien felt a tug at their minds and realised Chris was beginning to wake up. It was morning already, the time difference being so unpredictable. "You know what, Chris? I think you should ask your mom."

"And why do you think she'd accept all these lies?" Chris asked though he looked tempted.

"Well since I let her live this time around I think she owes me." Damien laughed nastily as their reality faded and Damien retreated from Chris' mind and back to his own body.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**The next morning**

Chris woke up with a gasp that instantly alerted Wyatt, in the bed next to him, that he'd had a premonition even if Chris wasn't all that sure about what it had been. "Unless the house is burning down I'm not getting up 'till at least ten." Wyatt told him with a groan.

"Shut up." Chris told him automatically before scrambling out of bed and hastily pulling on clothing. Wyatt sat up with a frown when Chris didn't go for the door like he normally did after a premonition.

"Aren't you going to find mom and dad?" Wyatt asked. Chris frowned and turned to look at his older brother looking for answers that Wyatt rarely ever bothered to give him. In the end Chris sat on the end of his seventeen year old brother's bed. "What's got you so freaked out?"

Chris glanced at his older brother gratefully. He might be a prat sometimes but when it came to Chris and Melinda he did have a bit of a protective streak. When Chris was troubled he could always get Wyatt to help him out even if they'd just gotten into fight about something. "I don't think that was a premonition."

"So you had a nightmare?" Wyatt asked pulling himself up against the headboard and stretching his arms.

"No." Chris shook his head. "You remember that Demon from my birthday last year?"

"The one that kicked our arses." Wyatt grumbled. "I think I remember." He added sarcastically.

"Wyatt? I think he's in my head." Chris sounded so panicked his brother was up out of bed and at Chris' side in an instant.

"What do you mean?" Wyatt asked. "Is he there now?"

"He was in my dream. He said he'd spent yesterday in my head watching everything." Chris looked at his brother pleadingly.

"We need mom and dad." Wyatt declared and ran for the door. He threw it open and yelled down the hall at the top of his voice before turning back to Chris with resolve lining his expression. "Don't worry, little brother. We'll get him out."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Damien smirked as he felt it against his skin. Orbs, trying to transport him somewhere. Damien raised his hood over his scared face and feeling rather vindictive he let it take him. Putting up resistance against the Charmed Ones would tire him out even if he could win but it felt like there were more behind the spell. Maybe it wasn't even the Charmed Ones.

Damien had his answer when he was reconstituted in a room he didn't recognise. He didn't uncross his arms and he didn't even move his torso as his head took in those around the room. The Charmed Ones were there as he'd partially expected but there were six other Witches, two male, that he didn't recognise.

"Well, well. It's rather rude to pull somebody to a party without an invitation in advance." Damien smirked from under his hood though they couldn't see it. "I could have worn something more formal."

"Or you could have summoned an army of Demons to your side." One of the women he didn't recognise spat at him.

"Who are you?" Damien turned completely to her though he didn't let the Charmed Ones out of his sight.

"Like it matters." She snarled.

Damien laughed nastily and turned back to the Charmed Ones. "You know what? I don't think I like their attitudes." Damien smirked even if they could only just see it. "Was there a reason you called me? I was rather busy."

"Killing innocents?" Phoebe asked him as she rhythmically tapped a small potions vial against her arm where they were crossed in front of her.

"You know, I never did find much fun in that. Killing Wizards though? Now that's fun." Damien laughed.

"Are you saying you've never killed an innocent?" One of the men scoffed.

Damien tilted his head to the side as if trying to recall something. "You know what, I don't think I've killed a mortal before. I mean, what can you possibly achieve from that."

"And you expect us to believe that?" One of the other women laughed without humour.

"You did ask." Damien shrugged. "Piper, I'm getting bored. Was there something you actually wanted or are we here just to exchange small talk?"

"You know why we summoned you." Piper told him.

"So that I could reach out with my power, trip the mortal alarms and bring every remote bot down on this building?" Damien asked with humour. "I hope this isn't somebody's home."

"He's lying." The second man shook his head.

"He's a Telepath." Phoebe reminded them.

"But we blocked Telepathy so he couldn't call for help." Paige pointed out.

"Are you done arguing?" Damien interrupted. "It's just there's a party in the Underworld tonight I might just visit."

"Shut up." Piper snapped. "What were you doing in my son's head?"

"You mean mind actually." Damien told her. "Different things. If I was in his head I would have been able to control his movements and powers. Ask the Demons, they've gotten quite used to it."

"Whatever." Piper almost rolled her eyes. "Why were you in his dream?"

"I felt like it." Damien shrugged. "You seem to be keeping things from your children Piper. Haven't you told dear little Wyatt that he is the future Lord of the Underworld." There was a flinch from the six new witches. "What? Don't they even know?"

"That future is gone, Damien." Piper told her fiercely.

"Partly with thanks to me. Chris would be dead if it wasn't for me." Damien snapped and took a step forwards. A beam of light cut across his vision as the crystal prison sprung to life. "And you repaid me by locking me in a prison."

"You're a Demon." Phoebe pointed out.

"So was Cole." Damien retorted without heart. She flinched violently and he knew he'd struck a nerve. "See you seem to forget the essence of it. Chris wanted me to live and for some reason he wanted his mother to live."

"What are you talking about?" Piper snapped.

Damien started laughing. "Chris told me in the past that he couldn't bare it if he had to go back to the future to find you dead."

"He told us that." Paige frowned thoughtfully.

"Didn't you ever work out how you died, Piper?" Damien asked. "Don't you have an answer to that question Chris asked you in the living room last night while you and Leo were playing Chess? How did I know he and the Cupid were there?"

"Oh my god!" Phoebe gasped and took a half step backwards. "You killed Piper."

"So it would seem. On his fourteenth birthday to top it off." Damien laughed. "I did you a favour this time, Piper. Don't expect that you can summon me like this and expect more."

"We haven't summoned you for a favour." Piper glared at him. "We've blocked Chris from Telepathic influence so you can't try this again. Stay away from my son!"

"Don't you want to know what the favour would be?" Damien asked cooly.

"Who cares?" One of the men snapped. "You're not going to live long enough to grant anybody any favours!"

"You did a good job on the Telepathic wards out of the room by the way, Paige." Damien smirked and raised his hands to the sides letting the cage snap up at his finger tips. "But you forgot something."

"What?" Paige frowned.

"Them." Damien tilted his head to the side and shuttered his eyes and lashed out with his mind. He couldn't reach beyond the room but he could easily take over one of the women standing to his left. She tried to struggle but his attack was too abrupt and surprising. She lifted her hand at Damien's command and using telekinesis she summoned one of the crystals into her hand to the shock of the other eight witches in the room. She stared at her hand as if it had betrayed her but none of them could work out what had happened before Damien Shimmered out of the room.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The Demon of Caete Ruin made only one major move that year. He'd let the knowledge that the mortals were trying to track him linger in the back of his mind but eventually he knew he had to make some sort of show. All of the other Upper Level Demons knew that the mortals were after him and if Damien didn't do something about it then they'd probably try to gang up on him. His powers were a prize that any demon would risk their lives for. It didn't take him long to draw out the task force assigned to attack him wherever he appeared and then subdue them long enough to enter one of their minds and discern the task forces position. He'd appeared in the middle of their control room and it had actually taken them a full five seconds to realize the demon they were watching on their screens being attacked by their people was actually now standing in front of them.

The building in the centre of Oakland exploded into rubble a few minutes later. True to his word he didn't actually try to kill any of them. The mortals then realised that the tactics they always used against the other demons they hunted didn't work against a Demon of Caete Ruin.

It was almost nine months after the Halliwells and their friends had summoned him that he saw them again. He'd been attacked by a Krychek demon. They were particularly difficult to keep dead but Damien managed it. He stooped down over their bodies mindful of the numerous demons standing watching what he was doing. The fight had drawn quite a few demons though they seemed to be smart enough not to attempt anything. Damien stood and turned his hooded face to look at the spectators. "Does one of you know who sent these?" Damien asked, his voice low and threatening.

Three actually shimmered away rather than risk Damien getting annoyed but one stepped forwards and knelt before him. There was always a chance that Damien would take over the Underworld and most that believed he could and would were careful about how they treated him. Damien gestured to the others and they vanished.

"You are not a full blooded Demon." Damien told him. The demon flinched at being found out though not many upper level demons could have sensed it. "You shouldn't have thought to try to hide it from me but I care very little about what you are, only what use you can be to me."

"Master." The demon looked up. "I overheard this plot against you from my employers."

"You betray your employers? In front of a dozen demons." Damien chuckled. "I don't think much of your survival skills."

"They'll be dead soon." The demon told him.

"How is that?" Damien asked.

"For starters they attacked you." The Demon told him. "Secondly they've had me watching the Charmed Ones in an attempt to kidnap one of the younger children. Melinda."

"Piper Halliwells daughter." Damien mused. "You are right, they will soon be dead but I don't believe I wish for them to have all the fun. It will be fun watching the Charmed Ones in action don't you think?"

"Not if I can help it, master. Demons have a way of getting caught in the crossfire around the Charmed Ones." The demon told him.

"Your name?" Damien asked.

"Veltin." He told him.

"Yet you were mortal for your childhood." Damien sensed. "How long have you been in control of your demon powers?"

"Five years master." Veltin told him.

"Which life do you prefer, Veltin? That of a mortal or that of a demon." Damien asked actually curious for a change.

"A mortal, master. It was far more enjoyable." Veltin told him. "I knew not what my father had been."

"That I can understand." Damien told him. "Come with me, Veltin. I might have need for one such as you."

"Master?" Veltin frowned.

"We are much alike, Veltin. Let's see how long you can stay on my good side." Damien shimmered away leaving a trail that only Veltin could follow. If the demon took up the chance to serve him then he could follow. If he wanted to run then he could do that instead.

Damien appeared in his Lair allowing another demon inside for the first time since reappearing. He sat on his plinth and waited and wasn't disappointed as Veltin appeared before him. "Good boy." Damien nodded before reaching out with his mind using his spell to track the daughter of the eldest Charmed One. He found her in the Underworld and he also found the Charmed Ones lurking nearby.

Damien stood from the plinth and eyed Veltin for a moment. "Let's go." Damien told him. Veltin looked like he wanted to argue returning to the employers he had just betrayed and Damien laughed at him. "You have only just started to become useful to me Veltin, do you really think I'd let any harm come to you."

"How do you know where they are?" Veltin asked. "Their lair is heavily guarded and enchanted by Wizards."

"Wizards? Now there's another reason to vanquish them." Damien laughed. "They cannot hide a witch like Melinda Halliwell from a mind like my own."

Damien reached out with his hand and shimmered the both of them into the cavern that the battle was about to begin in. He and Veltin stood at the side, Damien watching the four Upper level demons pace and argue around the cage that held Melinda. Three other figures lurked nearby wearing black robes and held wands in their hands. Damien hissed.

Veltin on the other hand was fidgeting nervously. Damien took pity on the man. "They cannot hear of see us until I allow it."

Veltin straightened and looked at Damien carefully. "You are more powerful that the others believe."

"Obviously." Damien told him. "Tell me, Veltin. What have you done with yourself since becoming a Demon?"

"Tried to stay alive." Veltin told him.

Damien laughed but he was cut off from responding when three Witches orbed into the room. Before anybody could respond two of the Upper level demons had died to two very strong potions. Veltin winced but Damien didn't even move a muscle.

Paige diverted a fire ball effortlessly but didn't notice as another Demon sent her flying with a wave of telekinesis. "They're not exactly playing to their full abilities and the Wizards have yet to enter the fight. It's a good thing I happen to want at least one of those Demons to kill."

Damien smoothly slid out from the side of the room and the two demons fighting the three Charmed Ones half turned to face him. Damien raised his arms and the two pyramids on his wrists shimmered as they caught the sconce light surrounding the chamber. "Caete Ruin!" One of the demons gasped and took a half step backwards. The Charmed Ones turned to Damien in shock.

"What are you doing here?" Piper snarled at him.

"It seems our Demons here bit off more than they could chew. Who would think I could find demons stupid enough to attack the Charmed Ones and the Demon of Caete Ruin at the same time and expect to live." Damien laughed nastily and before the demons could try to escape they were burning slowly as two Fire Matrixes hit them in the chests.

Damien found himself between Melinda's cage and the three sisters who looked ready for war. "Get out of our way."

"Oh, it's not me you need to ask to get to Melinda." Damien told Piper. "It's them."

"There's nobody hear but us." Piper snapped.

Damien raised his armed and a thunder clap of magic struck out passed them and slammed into the spells hiding the Wizards who had moved to surround the Charmed Ones. They rippled into being.

"You set a trap?" Paige asked Damien. "Again?"

"You think I would work with Wizards?" Damien lost his temper and his voice growled at her.

The nearest Wizard to Damien flicked his wand and Damien felt the shimmering of power flood the room from behind him. The cavern was suddenly filled with a scream as the bars of the floor of the cage burned into Melinda. Damien threw out a Fire Matrix an instant later even as Piper screamed her daughter's name. The Matrix hit the Wizard's shield spell but exploded rather than vanishing sending the Wizard flying as he burned into ash. Damien sent a wave of telekinesis out around him sending the three sisters and the last two demons flying.

"Paige, kindly get that girl out of the cage. Her screams are really starting to grind on my nerves." Damien told her as he hoisted the two Wizards into the air. Paige orbed Melinda to her through the cage and the girl collapsed into her mother's and aunt's arms.

"What are you going to do to them?" Phoebe asked. She hadn't turned her back on Damien even while keeping an eye on the Wizards hanging in the air.

In answer Damien summoned two Fire Matrixes and threw them at the Wizards. "I have no need for Wizards."

"What? You don't need them to take over the Underworld?" Piper spat. "For all we know you planned all of this to trap us here?"

"If that were true then my next move would be killing you." Damien raised his right hand and a Fire Matrix appeared and began slowly rotating. "Who's first?"

"Go to hell, Damien." Paige snarled and orbed the three others out of the room.

Damien laughed and reabsorbed the magic of his matrix. "Damien?" Veltin frowned as he moved out of the illusion Damien had placed to hide him.

"Careful, Veltin." Damien warned really not that bothered that Paige had just given away his name. "If you blab that around I might find that you're not as useful as I thought you were."

"So it's true?" Veltin asked. Damien tilted his head and shimmered back to his lair. Veltin appeared a few moments later and Damien lowered his hood showing the scarred face of Damien. "Damien and the Demon of Caete Ruin are the same demon?"

"Damien Caete Ruin actually." Damien told him bluntly. "I should warn you though. You won't live all that long if you tell somebody that."

"The Charmed Ones know?" Veltin asked.

"We had a few run-ins a decade and a half ago." Damien shrugged.

"When you were destroying the Wizarding World?" Veltin asked.

"You know a lot for a demon of only a few years." Damien told him.

"I keep my ears open and stay quiet. How else is a demon raised as a mortal supposed to survive around here." Veltin asked.

"By keeping his secrets." Damien told him.

"Why did you destroy the Wizards?" Veltin asked.

"Let's make that a test shall we. If you work that out I'll find you a few extra powers to keep you alive down here." Damien laughed and sat on his plinth to concentrate. If Veltin was going to stick around he'd need somewhere to work and sleep.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Three months later**

Damien prepared the ritual needed to link a carefully prolonged premonition to his target. He'd tried getting close to Chris with his telepathy only to find it impossible to enter his mind. He'd expected it though, with an empath in the family the Charmed Ones knew all about accessing and protecting the mind. Veltin had proved himself worth every bit of the time Damien kept him around when he offered and succeeded in getting some of Chris' blood in a rather faked attack on the boy.

Veltin was now the proud owner of the ability to summon Energy balls and was also now a telekinetic courtesy of a demon that had attacked him in the demonic market. Damien had come to his rescue when he'd sensed the attack and taken the powers from the attacker. He'd kept them locked up in his Lair until Veltin had worked out Damien's connection to the Wizards and the half demon hadn't disappointed. He'd worked out what Damien meant by understanding his upbringing. The two of them were very similar. Thrown into the instincts of demonic life after a life of kindness, or something along those lines.

Damien added the final step and the potion swirled into a bright red light. Damien held his hand over it and reached out with his telepathy joining his own power to Chris' power of premonition.

It was the night after Chris' birthday, just before midnight and Damien found himself once again in the facsimile of his Lair with Chris glaring at him across the red mist. "How did you do it?"

"Oh, that's not fair, Chris." Damien laughed. "If I tell you that your parents will block it and I won't get to talk to you."

"That's a good thing." Chris told him with a glare.

Damien laughed properly which was a rare thing before he reached up his hood and lowered it showing his scarred face. It was better than it had been two years ago but it would take time to heal. Chris flinched. "What happened to you?"

"Your father happened to me." Damien told him harshly before he shuttered his eyes. His face rippled and the scars vanished leaving an illusion to cover the damage. "Right then, I've decided to be nice to you."

"Oh really?" Chris scowled at him and crossed his hands over his t-shirt. He was wearing light cotton trousers and a red t-shirt this time.

"Yes. As soon as you want to leave I'll end the spell." Damien told him. "That's a promise."

"So if I want out right now?"

"Then you can go but you won't be able to find out what it is that your parents are keeping from you and Wyatt."

"Wyatt?" Chris frowned. "If this is about him how come you're not bugging him in his sleep?"

"It wasn't him that opened my eyes." Damien told him honestly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chris asked.

"It was you that showed me I could force aside my demonic instincts if I really wanted to." Damien explained.

"I don't remember that." Chris glared.

"Probably not." Damien shrugged.

"Ok then, demon." Chris spat. "How did we meet in this fantasy realm of yours?"

"You stopped me from sending a Fire Matrix at your Aunt Phoebe in Diagon Alley." Damien told him honestly.

"Diagon Alley, what's that supposed to be?" Chris frowned. "Wait I don't care. Don't you mean my mother. That's when I first saw you in person."

"That's right. _You_ first met me when you stopped me from killing your mother but you also saw me kill your mother." Damien told him with a grin.

"Are you insane?" Chris asked surprisingly fast.

Damien laughed. "Is that a serious question?" Damien asked. Chris nodded. "No, Chris, I'm not insane."

"And I'm supposed to believe you?" Chris chuckled darkly.

"You can believe whatever you like." Damien shrugged. "Either way your mother and aunts owe me for their lives once again. So does your sister I suppose."

"You helped capture her in the first place!" Chris snapped.

"No I didn't." Damien told him. "Believe me or believe your mother, that's up to you."

"Fine then." Chris shook his head. "What is it that mom and dad aren't telling me? They said they won't let me get involved with you again. When did I get involved before?"

"Before you were born." Damien told him truthfully. "And I suppose as time goes it was actually in the future but only you know everything about that. I never lived it."

"You're not making any sense." Chris told him.

"Maybe I'm not but if I told you, you'd just think it was just a demon trying to trick you." Damien shrugged. "You'll have to talk to you parents about it."

"What if they don't tell me?" Chris asked furiously. It had been two years now since he'd first asked.

"How about this?" Damien asked. "Next year is your seventeenth birthday. That's like a coming of age in the Wizarding World. Tell your mother that if she and Leo don't tell you the full truth about you and your brother then I will on your next birthday."

"I don't want you to come to me next year. I don't want a demon in my head." Chris snapped.

"I'm not in your head this time. We're just speaking to each other." Damien explained patiently. "The Charmed Ones blocked me from your mind."

Chris grinned happily and Damien sighed. "Ask her Chris but you probably won't like what they say but at least you can believe them."

"I want to leave now." Chris told him. Damien shrugged but nodded all the same.

"Happy birthday by the way." Damien prepared to withdraw his telepathy from the potion. "Oh and Chris? Stay safe."

With that the connection snapped and Damien found himself glaring down at the potion. For some reason talking about the old Chris really upset him and he hadn't been upset in over a decade and a half.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Six months later**

Damien felt it creep along his skin and he looked up at Veltin in amusement even as the other demon noticed the orbs flickering over his skin. Damien paused for a moment wondering whether to fight it. "Keep yourself hidden but follow me. Don't do anything until I make my move to escape then distract, but don't kill."

"I've never killed a Witch." Veltin pointed out dryly more confident now that Damien had accepted him into the 'gang'.

Damien raised his hood but didn't struggle and let himself be abducted by whoever it was. He made the travel messy though and knew that Veltin could follow it. The orbs faded leaving a faintly unpleasant feeling on his skin and Damien looked around from beneath his hood. He was in Halliwell Manor, in the attic to be exact.

The three sisters were in front of him as well as the newly eighteen year old Wyatt and the cupid. "Yet again, Piper, no invitation?"

"I should just kill you for what you put Chris and Wyatt through after his birthday." Piper told him.

"So you caved and told them did you?" Damien laughed and saw the hard expression of them all. "Better now than when Chris returns."

"Returns, so you did do it?" Paige stepped forwards.

"Huh?" Was Damien's rather surprised response. "I meant when he returns from the past. What are you talking about?"

"Somebody kidnapped Chris." Wyatt spat flicking his fingers to summon Excalibur to him. "In the middle of the street outside his school."

"Wasn't me." Damien shrugged.

"How do you expect us to believe that?" Piper asked.

"I would have done it with more class than an abduction in the middle of a street." Damien told her honestly. "So, my King of Magic, what did you plan on doing with that sword?"

Wyatt glared at him. He obviously knew the truth about his other self. "Fuck you."

Damien laughed happily and turned back to Piper who was looking at Wyatt as if she was tempted to tell him off for his words. "So, Chris has been captured has he?"

"As if you didn't know." Piper snarled.

"I didn't actually. I can't sense Chris' mind anymore since you blocked him telepathically." Damien told him.

"He's telling the truth." Phoebe told her sisters reluctantly. Damien had felt her against his mind and let her see that much. "He didn't know."

"We can't sense him when we go down into the Underworld. Can you?"

"I told you I can't sense him anymore and that's entirely your fault." Damien snapped. "And I don't see why I should go find him for you."

"Because you want him safe." Phoebe told him.

Damien laughed. "Oh how the seasons change. I don't think I fancy helping you this time."

"You have to or you're not getting out of here alive." Wyatt warned.

Damien shook his head sadly and sighed. "Veltin."

Their eyes widened but they could do anything as Veltin shimmered out of his new invisibility with his dagger held across Wyatt's throat. "The crystal cage. Deactivate it. Now."

"Who's that?" Piper looked ready to scream in frustration.

"You didn't think I'd let you summon me without a backup plan and I'm so loath to use the same escape method twice. You have to experience life in its fullness don't you think." Damien smirked from under his hood. Paige groaned but summoned one of the crystals into her hand. The cage disappeared and Damien walked up to Wyatt. "Take me to where Chris was abducted."

"Why should I?"

"Because I'll blow up this house if you don't, boy!" Damien growled. Wyatt glanced at his mother and Aunts but orbed from the room. Veltin and Damien quickly followed though when Veltin reappeared he was already invisible in case Wyatt tried something which had obviously gone through his mind as he searched around for the second Demon.

Damien looked around the street. There was perhaps a dozen mortals staring at them in shook and he was tempted to say the rather cliché 'boo' required in these situations. It wasn't necessary it seemed though when one woman screamed and together they all started running. Damien turned to Wyatt. "Is this where he was taken?" Damien asked.

"Yes." Wyatt nodded.

"Get out of here before the drones come." Damien gestured dismissively. "I'll see if you witches haven't already killed Chris with your negligence."

Wyatt grumbled something rather unpleasant under his breath before vanishing in a cloud of orbs. He'd undoubtedly be back with his family but Damien could already see two drones coming towards them. He'd worked out that they honed in on the power used to shimmer whereas that didn't seem to work against orbing. Obviously however designed them knew that Witches weren't all that bad.

Damien shuttered his eyes, standing in the middle of the street on his own as he tracked on the powers in the area. "Veltin?" Damien asked knowing exactly where his friend was lurking. "You've been tracking Wizards, how many conclaves in this area have more than a dozen members?"

"Three." Veltin told him. "That I could find."

"Whoever did this used Wizarding spells and they apparated away afterwards. They used a stunners and restrictions." Damien told him.

"Light Wizards." Veltin frowned.

A small explosion ripped into Damien's side and he hissed. They'd armed the damn drones. He gestured negligently and the drone flew into the side of a building and blew up. "Let's go pay one of those conclaves a visit."

"Follow me." Veltin shimmered away and Damien tracked him as he followed.

They reappeared in a huge cavern within the Underworld. It was a town it seemed. Huts made of both stone and wood filled every available space. Damien had been too busy with the major Wizarding cities to worry about where the escaping Wizards were fleeing and unless the Wizards attacked him or were evil Damien tended to leave them alone. Tended to being the main word.

This place was definitely a predominantly Light place but the definition of Light had become rather murky since the destruction of Hogwarts. They were all Grey now. A yell of warning announced that somebody had spotted Damien's cloaked form strolling calmly up the central space. Three Wizards appeared out from under invisibility cloaks in front of Damien not thirty seconds later. There would undoubtedly be more around here and while Damien could find them easily enough with his Telepathy he didn't feel the need to.

"We don't like Demons in our town." One of them told Damien harshly.

"If Voldemort couldn't kill me than I don't think you stand a chance." Damien told him bluntly and lowered his hood letting his illusions hide the scarring. He'd be Damien for this exchange since the Wizards were more afraid of Damien than they were of the Demon of Caete Ruin."I'm looking for a Witch captured out of the mortal world."

"Why?" The Wizard snarled and they tightened their grips over their wands.

"Because he's holding a power I want." Damien lied. "Light Wizards captured him and I want him."

"We don't know what you are talking about?" The Wizard snarled. Damien kept them talking.

"All I want is the power and then you can keep the boy." Damien offered.

"What's the power?" A different Wizard asked.

"A power of Premonition." Damien shrugged. "It's particularly strong in that one. I was just going to keep him as a slave but I wouldn't want to bereft you of your toy. What is it that you want of a mere boy anyway?"

"We don't have the boy?" The first Wizard kept to his story. Really Damien didn't know whether Chris was here or not but he'd find out soon. Speaking of which, just at that moment Veltin appeared from out of his own invisibility beside him. The Wizards jumped and looked almost like they were about to attack.

"The Halliwell boy is here." Veltin reported. "In the large stone building at the end of the street."

"Looks like you were lying." Damien turned back to the Wizards. "What was he to you? A play thing?"

The Wizards snarled in anger at the accusation. "We want the Charmed Ones to protect the town from demons."

"Demons? Like me?" Damien asked. "Take me to the boy so I can collect his power. The Charmed Ones won't know the loss until it's too late."

"Let him have what he wants." A voice spoke up from Damien's left showing the position of one of the hidden Wizards. "On the agreement that he adds his own protections to this cavern."

"You want to barter for a power?" Damien laughed.

"We caught the boy." The hidden figure told him.

"And made enemies of the Charmed Ones." Damien told him. "That's a foolish thing to do."

"They'll realize who's side they should join in the end."

"My dear Wizard." Damien sneered. "The Charmed Ones _are_ a side. I think you'll need all the protection you need. Take me to the boy and I'll make sure the Charmed Ones never find you here."

"Done." Veltin almost laughed at the Wizards foolishness.

Damien and Veltin were led up the street in the light of the fires on the doors to the houses. Wizards and Witches watched them go. The building was obviously a meeting hall of some kind since the inside was large and empty of all but a large fireplace in the centre, a half dozen Wizards and finally Chris chained to the far wall with anti-magic manacles around his wrists. He'd been beaten.

Chris looked up weakly and his eyes widened with surprise, horror and then strangely enough, betrayal. Damien walked into the room without a show that he'd seen the emotions on the sixteen and a half year old boy. He'd been that age when the Wizards had discarded him.

Damien stopped in front of Chris and glared at him until he stayed silent. "Take off the manacles." He ordered.

"He'll orb away if we do that." One of the Wizards that had followed him in told him.

"I can't take his powers until they're off." Damien told them bluntly. "I'll stop him from orbing. That's easy for somebody with proper powers."

Chris was looking more and more betrayed as the conversation went on but Damien wasn't foolish enough to risk showing him he was there to help. "And the Charmed Ones won't realise he's lost it?"

"Premonitions are random events." Damien told the Wizard without turning away. "They'll just think it's dormant without needing to do anything. He won't remember it's gone."

"Shut down the manacles." The first Wizard from earlier ordered. One of the others tapped his wand to the manacle. To Damien amusement Chris instantly tried to orb. Orbs flitted around him but Damien reached out and held Chris in place magically. There was a breath of relief from all the Wizards.

"Chris, what am I going to do with you?" Damien asked with a small smile of amusement. "I had to put up with you brat of an older brother accusing me of kidnapping."

"What?" One of the Wizards gasped.

"You'll get what I promised you. The Charmed Ones won't find you…not here at least." Damien grabbed Chris gently and shimmered out with Veltin on his tail. In his place sat a low yield Fire Matrix turned into a bomb. It detonated about five seconds later. His revenge for them attacking Chris.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Damien reappeared in his Lair with Chris hanging rather limply under his arm. "You're a mess." Damien told him bluntly.

"So you really weren't there for my power?" Chris asked hopefully.

"Nah, why would I want to know the future." Damien laughed. "That just ruins the fun in life. Plus there are six Demonic Seers I could force a premonition out of if I really wanted to."

"That's horrible." Chris glared at him but it didn't have the same vehemence in it that it had on his last birthday.

"He is rather horrible." Veltin spoke up from where he'd silently appeared on the other side of the room. "That explosion wasn't that impressive, Damien."

"I wasn't going for mass destruction, Veltin." Damien shook his head. "Chris, this is Veltin, a…friend of mine."

"A demon." Chris pointed out.

"Evidently." Damien chuckled before seeing just how weak Chris looked. He led him to the plinth and sat him down. "He's a half mortal, half demon. Came into his powers a few years back and hates every moment of it."

"Supposedly." Chris narrowed his eyes.

"Why do I bother?" Damien rolled him eyes. "Let's take you home. Just make sure your mother knows that the next time she can't protect her family she shouldn't just assume she can blame me."

"Why did you rescue me?" Chris asked.

"Then who would I talk to every year?" Damien asked.

"What did he see in you?" Chris asked. "Me I mean. Mom said we were friends in the future even though you killed her."

"Maybe you'll find out when he comes back?" Damien shrugged and gripped Chris' arm and pulled him off the plinth. He needed healing and Damien couldn't do that. He shimmered out of the Lair and to the Halliwell Manor appearing seamlessly in the attic. Piper and Paige were working at the Book of Shadows as they appeared slightly too close if the Book's slamming shut and shooting away from Damien had anything to do with it.

Piper's hand flinched up and Damien felt the explosion tear at his side. "Mom!" Chris yelled and she came out of automatic and winced. Damien let go of Chris with a muttered swear word.

"Watch if I don't retaliate next time, Witch." Damien snarled and shimmered from the room his good mood completely gone.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Six months later**

Damien stood patiently letting Chris look around the dreamscape once again. Chris hadn't been all that surprised this time and seemed to accept Damien's presence. "Is this like last time?" Chris asked. "Did you force me to have a premonition and then tap into it?"

"I'm surprised you worked it out." Damien nodded to show he was right. "It's a potion made from a small bit of your blood. It's rather complicated to explain but I will if it makes you feel better."

"Maybe later." Chris nodded and sat on Damien's plinth with a sarcastic grin.

"If you are aware it is your powers allowing this why then was it possible for me to cast the spells. Why did Piper not block your powers?" Damien asked with a frown as he slowly walked through the red mist.

Chris went slightly red. "I worked it out after you rescued me. I didn't tell her."

Damien laughed. "To think that on your fifteenth birthday you hid against that wall and your sixteenth was spent threatening me."

"I still don't really trust you but you haven't done anything to hurt me." Chris told him. "What are you wearing?"

Damien laughed at his abrupt change of topic and glanced down at his black jeans and dark green t-shirt. "I wear this under my cloak normally."

"Why? That's the sort of thing I wear." Chris frowned.

"Old habits. It's the sort of thing I used to wear." Damien asked.

"When you were a Wizard?" Chris asked.

"So your mother told you about that then?" Damien tilted his head to the side.

"Yeah, how old are you?" Chris asked.

Damien paced for a while as he thought about that. He'd been seventeen when he'd lost the spell Lily Potter had placed on him, six months later he'd killed Voldemort at Diagon Alley, eighteen when Chris had returned to the future and just nineteen when Leo had trapped him in that time prison. He'd then spent thirteen and a half years in that trap and now he'd had three and a half years of freedom.

"You're having to really think about this you realise?" Chris laughed.

"I've never actually had a real birthday party before." Damien admitted. "I'm thirty six but if you don't count the time I was locked in time I'm only twenty-two."

"Really?" Chris flinched. "Mom said you used to be a Wizard and they did something bad to you and you killed them all. I didn't realise it wasn't that long ago."

"Time doesn't really mean all that much to me. I look the same now as I did at nineteen when I was trapped." Damien shrugged.

"I can't believe dad did that to you at nineteen." Chris muttered looking down at his lap.

"Chris, I don't make any excuses for what I am. I'm a demon." Damien shrugged.

"But you'd only been a demon for two years." Chris pointed out.

"And in that time I killed a Dark Lord, destroyed the Wizarding World and raised the largest demonic army ever called upon. Your dad was scared that I'd do it again and turn it on your mother and aunts." Damien shrugged.

"You can't say you accepted that. I saw you after you escaped. You were in pain and you were furious." Chris pointed out.

"If I was in his place I would have done the same." Damien shrugged. "He was scared by how the other Chris was attached to me and scared that I'd come after you."

"Were you going to?" Chris asked.

"The thought never crossed my mind." Damien told him.

"They always assume the worst about you." Chris sighed.

"Chris, you don't know me." Damien sighed. "I'm not a normal blood thirsty demon but I'm not Good either."

"Well, why don't you tell me about it?" Chris offered. "I want to know about you being a Wizard. How you grew up."

"Are you sure?" Damien asked. "There's a reason I'm vindictive and horrible."

"Please?" Chris asked. Damien sighed and nodded before settling down on a ledge built into one of the walls of the cave. "I'll start from the beginning as I know it." Thus Damien told Chris about his life from the real Harry Potter's defeat of Voldemort and then his death and Darius leaving him with the Potters. He told him everything up until the moment he found out he was a demon before he noticed Chris was looking rather pale and tired.

"I suppose I never assumed you'd want to stay here this long." Damien sighed. He'd just finished telling Chris about meeting Lucus on the top of Ben Nevis when Chris' yawn had stopped him.

"Why am I tired?" Chris asked.

"You're viewing this all in one snap shot of a premonition prolonged over whatever time we use up. It's morning now and you've been in a premonition for five hours. You're feeling drained." Damien sighed. "Happy birthday kid."

"Can I see you before next year?" Chris asked.

Damien paused before severing the link. "I don't think that's a good idea. I don't want your family coming after me and me having to hurt them to get away. Next year, Chris, I promise."

Chris smiled slightly before nodding. He vanished smoothly from the dreamscape at the same time that Damien severed the spell and rejoined his body.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Damien had a rather simply year after his first pleasant conversation with the Chris of this time. He had a few problems with Demons but nothing all that elaborate or even worth remembering after his attackers were dead. Veltin was still at his side and had accepted the fact he was a Demon even if he still avoided going after Witches and Mortals, not that Damien did that anymore after all. His blossoming friendship with Chris had shown Damien one thing, he could be happy without hiding behind his ruthlessness after all. It was a turning point for him.

Other than that Veltin had become a good friend who Damien knew didn't hide malicious intentions like Luke had when he'd taken Damien as a pupil. Veltin accepted that Damien didn't want to unite the Underworld. That didn't keep Damien and Veltin from working to make sure no other managed it as well. A single Demon attempted to call himself The Source and had invited Damien to swear his allegiance. He was a power Demon Damien had to agree and the other of what could be classed as the ruling body of Demons swore their allegiance.

He was powerful but still an increment below Damien and Damien wasn't about to swear allegiance to a demon like him. It was a bloody fight but quite a few of the other Upper level Demons preferred the Underworld splintered and came to Damien's side. The Charmed Ones were even attracted to the fighting as it spread up onto the surface in a two month clan war that Damien ended in a bloody explosion over Golden Gate Park that killed the 'new' Source and made the Order of Caete Ruin something to fear.

Unfortunately it drew attention from the mortal world again and that was Damien's mistake. Damien was lured into a trap when he'd tracked assassins back to their masters only to find himself in one of the largest ambushes he could have imagined possible. Damien warned Veltin away but inevitably the other demons got the edge and managed to subdue his powers even if they couldn't kill him.

Once Damien's demonic body finally managed to filter out the drugs that one of the Demons had shot him with he found himself in a steel box like prison. He felt drained but after a half hour of tests discovered his powers still intact if not weakened. He was furious but whatever this box was it was advanced technology designed solely to block magic of any kind. He couldn't shimmer out, he couldn't summon a Fire Matrix or even reach out with his Telepathy.

Twice a day metal objects embedded in his wrists and feet would drag him down to the magnets of the floor and hold him there while mortal scientists came in to test him. More often than not he woke not remembering what they did but his magic was still internal and he knew with relief that they couldn't do anything to permanently change him.

In his head Damien knew that he'd broken his promise to Chris on his eighteenth birthday but there was little he could do about it in here. Rather than worry about anything on the outside world he began bending his magic into himself using every ounce of it to manipulate his own body. The scientists could detect the lose in his power as he drained himself constantly but their assumption was that he was slowly dying. Probably because they never fed him but while that was making him rather slim and physically weak it couldn't kill him. He was too powerful for his magic to allow such a death.

He slowly absorbed the metal devices they'd implanted in his wrists and feet into his blood spreading it out into all of his tissue so that when the magnets activated almost six months into his stay he could pretend that they had restrained him when for the first time it had no effect at all. The guards came in to put him on a trolley but Damien now had over plans and his anger needed somewhere to go.

The burning structure of the research station would be blared on the news for days as they tried to fight the fires. What annoyed Damien though were the demonic guards he had to fight his way passed to get out of the effect of the technology in the walls so he could shimmer away. They were working for someone and for some reason a Demon was benefiting from the mortals research.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

As soon as Damien was back in his Lair he settle on his plinth and focused on finding Veltin. It wasn't all that hard and the man was out in the East near Nevada, surprisingly close to the facility Damien had been held in for however many months he'd been there. Veltin felt his mind against his own and instantly shimmered back to where Damien was.

"Damien?" Veltin's eyes widened. "What have they done to you?"

Damien sagged slightly and Veltin caught him before he could fall from the plinth. Damien sighed tiredly and let his friend pull him through the hidden doorway in the cave wall and only Damien's rather dusty bed. "Not really sure." Damien told him sleepily. "They couldn't do anything permanent to my body or magic. I'll tell you about it all when I wake up."

"I'll stay here." Veltin sat on the other side of the bed as Damien fell asleep. For some reason Damien wasn't all that worried about he was being guarded by another Demon.

He woke almost a day later and told Veltin what he could remember. Veltin sat through the entire explanation before disappearing to find Damien some food to replenish his body and to have a snoop around for information. Damien could only think of one thing though and after changing into fresh clothing and a cloak he shimmered from the Underworld up to the surface. Once there he hid his signature as much as was possible for a Demon of Damien's power and sent out his telepathy in the fading light in search of Chris even though he expected him to be at home. He wasn't though, instead he was in the middle of down town San Francisco.

Damien shimmered to a nearby alley and removed his cloak before casting an illusion over himself. He still looked like Damien but now he was back to his healthy appearance without scars or malnutrition. He walked down the street following Chris' mind only to come up short. He'd done it automatically without thought to the fact he could. He'd originally planned to find Wyatt or Piper's mind and then track them till he found Chris but had automatically sought out and found him instead.

Chris must have taken the spell off of him, or it had worn off and Chris hadn't told Piper about his last visit otherwise Piper would have cast it again even if Damien hadn't used that method the last two times. He followed Chris' trail into a club called P3. Piper's club. He used his telepathy to enter unseen by the guards before pausing to scout the place for any of the rest of the Halliwells. Chris was evidently alone.

He was sitting in a booth opposite another boy his age and Damien paused to note the changes, for the first time Damien couldn't see any real difference between this Chris and the one that had travelled back into the past. He had a light stubble over his chin. His eyes held the same wariness that the other Chris had and he was even wearing the baggy jeans and loose shirt just like his older self had. As Damien watched the boy opposite Chris stood jerkily and with a few harsh looking words slipped out through the crowd leaving Chris staring blankly after him.

Damien slipped across the floor and after a few moments where Chris started to stare down at his drink, Damien sat in the seat opposite him glad to be able to rest again. He was ridiculously tired and he ached and for some reason he wanted nothing more than to go torment that other boy.

"Who was that?" Damien asked gently though his voice was sore. He'd barely used it in six months and then tired it out earlier talking to Veltin.

Chris' head snapped up sharply to look at him and his eyes widened in surprise. "You!"

"Me?" Damien frowned.

"It's been a year and a half!" Chris snapped. "You promised you'd come talk to me on my birthday."

"That wasn't my fault." Damien told him. "I've been a bit…held up."

Chris narrowed his eyes slightly at the wording before he sagged back onto the bench and crossed his arms over his chest defensively. "That was…a friend."

"A friend?" Damien glanced over his shoulder even though he knew the other boy had gone. "It looked like more than that."

"Fine, it was!" Chris snapped. "He decided I was always too distracted for his taste."

"Oh, what a pleasant person." Damien shook his head.

"Did me and you…?" Chris paused. "I mean, you and _him_…ever?"

"Were we together?" Damien asked and bit his lip. "Not really. It was there but he shocked me into it all and the relationship was future tense for me and past tense for him and it was a really complicated thing. Supposedly."

Chris actually laughed. "You're going to have to explain that one to me a bit better later." Chris told him.

Damien shook his head as a wave of pain seared his joints. "I should be going."

"Already?" Chris sat back up sharply. "Can't you tell me why you missed my birthday?"

Damien sighed but nodded. "Is there somewhere quieter we can go?" So far their conversation could be handled as a normal one, though strange, but if Chris wanted answers they'd have to start talking about Demons.

Chris nodded and stood from the table. He led Damien around the dance floor to a door hidden behind a curtain. He waited until the barman had turned his back before pulling Damien through the door by his hand. The door shut behind them leaving them in darkness that only Damien could see through. "I don't want to turn on the light but the door to my mom's office should be in front of us on the right." Chris told him.

"I'm a Demon, Chris." Damien told him "I can see it."

Damien led Chris forwards down the pitch black corridor and pushed open the door and led them in. Chris flipped on the light and flinched at the sight of Damien's pitch black eyes before his eyes flashed back to their normal green colour. "So where did you go?"

"Don't know where exactly but somewhere in the Nevada desert." Damien shrugged as he watched Chris perch himself on the edge of the desk along one wall.

"Why?"

"Not by choice I assure you. Demons ambushed me and drugged me." Damien sighed.

"You demons do get what's coming to you." Chris pointed out harshly.

"Well I didn't do anything to annoy them I assure you." Damien narrowed his eyes. "It was some kind of research centre run by mortals with anti-magic technology. I'm sorry I missed your birthday, Chris, but I didn't have many options open to me."

"How did you escape?" Chris asked suddenly looking rather worried for Damien.

"They kept me restrained with metal implants in my feet and wrists. I wore them down and absorbed the metal into my body and then surprised them." Damien shrugged.

"Did you kill them?" Chris asked with a careful look in his eyes.

"Yes, Chris. Five mortals and a dozen demons." Damien told him.

"You killed mortals." Chris narrowed his eyes.

"I'm a demon and they were nasty, worse than demons with what they were doing to me. They deserved it, I don't think even your mother would blame me for what I did to escape." Damien told him.

"I'm not sure about that." Chris told him without the usual glint in his eyes that he'd used during the last meeting.

"Chris, don't give me that, I haven't eaten in about eight months. I'm tired, drained and I ache."

"You look fine to me." Chris told him.

"Illusion Chris, you see what I want you to see or didn't you notice my scars are gone." Damien told him.

"Show me." Chris ordered.

"You've seen my scars before." Damien frowned.

"I mean the rest." Chris told him.

"Why?" Damien asked feeling hurt for the first time in years. "So you can believe me?"

"So I can understand why you'd kill mortals." Chris told him.

"Fine." Damien grunted and dropped all of his illusions. His scars appeared on his face. His hair lost it's healthy look and he seemed to lose his powerful appearance. He was drawn, pale and weary. His clothes hung off his weakened frame.

"Fuck, Damien." Chris whistled and was in front of him in an instant. Damien looked down at his hand with a shrug.

"Don't worry about it, Chris." Damien shrugged. "A few months of proper food and rest and I'll be back to my normal killing ways."

"Don't joke. You look awful." Chris told him.

"Thanks." Damien shook his head and concentrated again to bring the illusion back up. Before Chris' eyes he bulked back out and regained his healthy look. Chris realising just how close he was standing took a step back.

"You'll be ok?" Chris asked.

"You were just accusing me of killing mortals for no reason. I'm hurt." Damien told him with a slight twitch of a smile.

"I was talking about physically." Chris rolled his eyes. "And I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, Chris. I'm a demon. Even your older self realised that." Damien pointed out. "And I'll be fine with some rest."

"Why did you come here anyway?" Chris asked after a few moments silence.

"To check on you and to make sure you knew why I didn't contact you." Damien shrugged. "It was nice to find you've let that spell fail without telling your mom."

"She wouldn't understand." Chris told him. "I was so angry at you though after you broke your promise. I was looking forward to finding out about what you did as a demon so I could understand better why my other self liked you."

"And I disappointed you?" Damien guessed before feeling a wave of nausea pass through him. "I should go."

"Alright, I'll talk to you in sixth months?" Chris asked hopefully.

"Yeah." Damien smiled slightly at Chris before leaning in to the young man quickly and kissing him lightly on the lips. He snapped back in surprise and brought his own hand up to his mouth in shock.

"It's ok, Damien. I understand." Chris laughed.

Damien watched him for a moment before softly smiling before he shimmered out of the club and back to find some food.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Six months later**

With only a week to go to Chris' nineteenth birthday Damien made a decision. He was back to his full health and felt that both the Demon and the Mortal world needed to know that he had returned and the best way to do that without actually killing any mortals was to start a clan war between Demons. That part was easily done with a couple of subtle deaths on both sides of two of the largest covenants of demons. Getting them to fight where he wanted them to was a little harder yet again not that problematic.

He'd picked these two clans for one main reason. They'd helped in his capture and he'd wipe out their leaders in any case, he just wanted to do it where the mortals could witness it in detail. Like in the middle of the west coast largest submarine supply base complete with three hidden submarine docks which was all about to be the site of a Demonic battle that Damien planned to end.

He'd captured the leaders of both sides without either knowing that it wasn't the other that captured them and then 'let' them escape into the mortal base to call on their own armies to kill the other.

The ensuing battle had quickly become a battle of three sides as the mortals tried to defend their base against the demons fighting in the centre until it was simply every demon or man for himself. Damien simply watched in amusement until the mortals had more or less completely evacuated the base with surprisingly no loses on their sides. The demons didn't really see them as a threat and their defences were impressive.

Damien joined in when there were enough remote bots in the area to record everything that happened. He shimmered onto the top of a building and fired a Fire Matrix into one of the ammo store houses sending a fireball up into the sky and bringing an end to the battle as everyone was thrown from their feet. He cast an illusion of himself into the centre of the battle field as the demons struggled to their feet and the mortals, rather more sensibly began a full out withdrawal.

"You!" Snapped one of the demons seeing the pyramids on Damien's exposed arms.

"What? You didn't expect me to actually let you get away with trapping me did you?" Damien asked knowing that his illusions voice was easily being picked up by the remote drones. "And the lovely mortals that thought it pleasant to try to experiment on me."

"You started this!" The other leader snarled.

"Of course I did." Damien's illusion shrugged. One of the Demons struck out with a fireball and Damien let it dissipate his illusion. "Very bad thing to do." Damien told them from on top of his building. He heard the whine of the remote drones spinning on him but ignored them for the time being as he lashed out with two Fire Matrixes which struck the two leaders of the clans in the chest sending them to hell with screams of pain. Damien then sent a bomb flying into another building he knew held the fuel for the bases aircraft. The explosion destroyed most of the base as well as most of the demons. The rest fled and Damien waited even as the building he stood upon began to burn. He turned to look at the remote drone hovering over his head.

"Mortals." Damien sneered. "Stay out of my way or I'll hit another of your facilities." With that he crushed the drone with his telekinesis and shimmered away as his perch began to collapse.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**A week later**

Damien used the older method when he contacted Chris this time and slipped into his mind about an hour before midnight. Chris didn't notice his intrusion but also didn't go straight to bed like Damien expected, instead he headed for the shower for, to Damien's embarrassment, more than just your standard shower. Damien slipped out of Chris' mind as soon as he sensed the thoughts forming and the effect they had on Chris' body.

He refused to tell Veltin why he'd returned so fast and instead waited almost an entire hour before returning to find Chris asleep already. He turned from the red mist of his Lair inside Chris' dream to find Chris staring at him. "I thought you weren't coming again." Chris told him. "Was I just dreaming?"

Damien chuckled nervously. "Well I was in your mind an hour ago but you had other ideas than going straight to bed. I thought you'd like some privacy."

"Oh god." Chris went bright red. "You were there."

Damien laughed, "For about the first two minutes before I realised you were having a shower. I didn't leave fast enough to get a glimpse of what you planned though."

"Oh god." Chris sat on top of the plinth. "Don't you have anything more comfortable in here? Don't you live here?"

"There are two hidden bedrooms. Veltin's is through that wall and mine through the wall on your right. There's also a store room behind you." Damien told him glad for the change of subject.

"I see you're back at full health then?" Chris asked suddenly.

Damien frowned. "We appear as we wish in your dreams, Chris." He glanced down at his own black jeans and red sleeveless shirt and then across at Chris' light cotton trousers and white t-shirt.

"I meant on the TV." Chris pointed out.

"They managed to get a picture of me?" Damien frowned.

"No." Chris shook his head. "Or at least not one they released to the public. I just recognised you."

"You don't care what I did?"

"They reported zero mortal casualties." Chris shrugged.

"I thought that plan would work." Damien grinned. "Those demons were what I wanted destroyed. The mortals just needed a warning to leave me alone."

"Destroying their base isn't going to keep them from coming after you." Chris pointed out.

"The warning wasn't for the mortals. It was for the other Demons."

"That doesn't make sense." Chris frowned.

"I'm not all that fussed about mortals. If they get too dramatic then I'll just threaten them with something bigger." Damien told him. "It's the demons I have to worry about and they were expecting some form of retribution from me. I had to send a warning to the mortals to stop the demons coming after me if they thought I was weak."

Chris frowned for a time as he tried to work that all out before he just sighed and leaned back on his arms. Damien studied him for a moment. He'd grown up a lot in the five years since his fourteenth birthday. He was the same kind of size and build as Damien was and held the same sort of poised tension that a Panther always did. His shirt hung off his toned chest without hiding all that much detail. "Will you tell me about what you've done as a demon?" Chris asked suddenly.

Damien swallowed and nodded. He spent three hours talking about all that he could remember. From Luke's training and betrayal and Diagon Alley, all the way through his meetings with the other Chris without leaving out anything he could remember and then finally to the more recent years.

Chris just sat in silence for almost five minutes after Damien finished talking. Damien let him think in silence as he slowly walked through the red mist thinking about how different he was now compared to when he'd destroyed Hogwarts and Diagon Alley.

"You were so angry." Chris spoke up as if he'd heard what Damien had been thinking.

"Now I just feel drained." Damien sighed. "I think it would have been better if Harry Potter had never died and if your great-grandmother had killed me as well as my father."

"I don't think so." Chris shook his head.

"I don't know how much time we've got left before you wake up. This way of contacting you gets you your sleep but it's as unpredictable as a real dream." Damien told him. "Did you want to ask any more questions?"

"Not really." Chris shrugged. "I want to think about this all first."

"Could you tell me about you?" Damien asked. "Your older self was so full of spite towards his own life and I never asked."

"What do you want to know?" Chris asked.

"Whatever." Damien shrugged. "What are you doing now?"

"I'm at college. I'm studying neo-kinetics." Chris told him.

"What's that?" Damien frowned.

"Probably the same sort of thing that took away your magic at that research place last year." Chris told him. "It's all about the science behind magic, how it can be harnessed by mortals and locked into technology. It was neo-kinetics that built the sensors on the remote drones."

"Bloody things." Damien swore. "They hunt me down every time I surface."

"All the time?" Chris seemed surprised.

"Whenever I use magic." Damien shrugged. "I've gotten good at hiding my shimmering and telepathy from them but if I summon a Fire Matrix about twenty of the damn critters come flying up. One of them even tried to shoot me!"

Chris laughed. "They hone in on magic but somebody high up in the government knows my mom and aunts and locked Wicca magic out of the scanners even though they report to the public that they search for Witches too."

"Bloody cheats." Damien glared lightheartedly and got another laugh. Damien, warmed by Chris' laughter, sat on the plinth next to him. Chris looked at him and leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Damien grinned at him when he pulled away and Chris smiled at him softly.

"I owed you one." Chris told him before lightly tracing the side of Damien's t-shirt clad side. Damien shivered and had to close his eyes. "I'm guessing you haven't even hugged anyone in years."

"I'm not going to think about it." Damien told him with a small groan as Chris' fingers sent shivers through his skin.

"Mom always told us that Demons don't even feel the ground under their feet and that they don't have emotions." Chris said though he didn't stop his ministrations emboldened by the effect he was having as Damien's eyes shuttered slightly.

"She wasn't lying but there are exceptions." Damien told him. "Half mortals like Veltin are not that dissimilar to you. They feel emotions and know what the touch is like but they are full of demonic instincts and only a few don't fall in with the others trapping those feelings away to survive. Veltin hasn't done that because I don't make him do anything he doesn't want to do."

"And you?" Chris asked.

"I was raised to have a heart." Damien sighed. He'd told Chris about the letter at the end of their last session but not what was actually in it. _"__Damien, our son, don't ever forget your heart even if you lose your emotions to this new world. Your father, Darius, saw your future as you fought beside a Wicca Witch and you loved him, an emotion that normal Demons cannot feel. Remember this and you will retain what makes you worthy of respecting." _Damien quoted the story from memory.

"That was Lily Potter's letter?" Chris asked.

"The end of it, yes." Damien sighed. "I buried it on Harry Potter's grave. I can feel touch and emotions because I was raised to even if the majority of that was abuse. I still experienced them and that leaves a mark."

"What would have happened if Chris hadn't met you in the past?" Damien asked.

"Honestly I'm not sure." Damien shrugged. "He said that by the time I'd dealt with the Wizarding World I was over finding out who had killed my real father. Maybe I would have gone after your parents and Aunts all those years ago."

"Remind me to thank him when he comes back to the present." Chris laughed and withdrew his hand. "That will be weird."

"Thank him for what?" Damien asked curiously.

"For changing this between us." Chris told him. "If he's telling the truth which I tend to do as a rule, right now I'd be trying to get into your good graces so I could kill you for killing my mother."

"And are you?" Damien turned to look at Chris lying down at his side.

"I've never even thought it." Chris told him. "I suppose if you'd gone through with it when you captured dad I might have thought differently."

Damien sat in silence for a time reminding himself that this was a dream. It was difficult after having Chris touching his side like that but it was all imprints on the mind and not actually real. Chris sighed and spoke up again. "When does the other Chris arrive?"

"I don't know how it works. It'll either be right after he left which would be November 19th when you're twenty-one or it'll be after he left after you turn twenty-two. He left three days after you were born." Damien told him.

"And what happens when he comes back?" Chris asked nervously. "Mom and dad won't talk about it."

"I don't imagine anybody knows. He destroyed his own future."

"Will he take my place?" Chris asked. Damien looked at him and shook his head. "If anything you take his. This is your timeline not his."

"So he'll die?" Chris asked with a frown.

"I doubt it. He has to go somewhere. His body will probably fade along with his timeline but his mind will probably remain." Chris frowned and Damien tapped him on the head. "He'll probably end up in here."

"In here?" Chris' eyes widened.

"There's plenty of room Chris." Damien laughed. "But I don't know what it'll be like, whether he'll take form as another consciousness that you'd end up sharing the body with or whether you'll combine to create a combination of the two of you."

"I'd gain his memories and personality?" Chris asked.

"Probably." Damien shrugged. "You'll have to wait and see I suppose."

"Sounds great." Chris sighed. Damien felt a slight shift in the reality and Chris sat up as he obviously felt the same thing. He was waking up. "Until next year I suppose."

"I'm sorry Chris but I really don't want your family targeting me." Damien sighed.

"I know. Next year. You forgot to wish me Happy Birthday." Chris grinned.

Damien laughed and quickly leaned over to kiss him gently on the lips. "Happy birthday kid."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

It took them six more months for Damien to track down the demon that had put the demonic guards on the facility but getting close enough to his Lair was more difficult. For one, his Lair was in Asia and the Underworld was far stronger over there than here. The demon was obviously moving against other Demons since his demons were caught twice attacking demons in the western Underworld to the point that Damien got tired of his little strikes against Damien.

Veltin was obsessed with the idea that the Demon was allied with somebody in the mortal world to harvest powers and use them to fuel his own demons. It would explain why Damien had been captured but not how a mortal could ally with a demon and hope not to be betrayed.

It wasn't only Demons that were trapped and killed though. Three Witches were captured and killed in a six month period. Damien had had enough of the intrusion into what was reputably _his _Underworld. Damien would never claim it though but he could command it if he needed to. The telepathic wave was heard throughout the western Underworld and probably into the Eastern seaboard as well.

Eighteen Demons shimmered into the Wastes of the Temple of Caete Ruin and Damien appeared silently in the middle. The burning tip of the decimated pyramid with the escaping flames of the Crystal Eye on the top that would burn forever. It still fed Damien, not as much as it used to but enough that the Demons knew not to infuriate him.

"You are all aware of this intruder into our Underworld." Damien asked from beneath his hood. There was a muttering of agreement. "Are will assume for expediencies sake that none of you are in league with him but be warned that if I find out you are I will destroy you. The foreign Demons are harvesting powers from this section of the Underworld to feed their own armies and I will no longer stand for that."

"What do you suppose we do about it?" One of the Demons asked patiently.

"I think that leaving your demons in your own command is for the best but if you are unable to keep this threat at bay I will take command." Damien warned.

"You think you can command an army?" The same demon asked.

"Better than the lot of you." Damien snapped. "If you find one of the invaders kill them, back track and decimate anything you find. Work together for a change."

The Demons sneered at him before shimmering away. Damien turned to the side and looked at where Veltin was hidden. "They'll do it." Veltin grumbled. "Probably not very well. They'll fight between each other just as much as they fight this enemy."

"As long as it keep this other demon busy I don't much care." Damien shrugged. "It'll stop them from trying to kill me."

"You didn't tell me about that." Veltin laughed.

"I only just thought about it." Damien shrugged before shimmering away.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Damien eyed Chris as he appeared in the dreamscape formed in Chris' mind as he slept. "Please tell me you're not unifying the Underworld under your leadership."

"Excuse me?" Damien backed up a step in surprise.

Chris frowned and sat on the Plinth. "A demon happened to mention that all of the Underworld is answering to you. Is that true?"

"Kind of." Damien shrugged and sat on the ledge he used to use to talk from. "There's a demon in the Asian Underworld attempting to harvest powers from the American Underworlds. He's working with the mortals in some way. It was for him that the mortals experimented on me when I was captured."

"So you've ordered the Underworld to unite to attack this other demon." Chris asked sceptically.

"I've ordered them to concentrate on this other demon rather than biting around my ankles hoping to get my powers." Damien told him honestly. "And it distracts this new 'Source' from coming after me."

"That's sounds better than what I heard." Chris sighed. "The demon suggested it was because you'd finally decided to turn the Demons on the Witches."

"That's troubling. Maybe his master is planning on doing something like that." Damien told him. "But I'm not bothered about hunting anything."

"Then what are you doing?" Chris asked.

"Just surviving." Damien laughed. "Happy twentieth by the way."

"One year closer to when you get your Chris back." Chris sighed and lay back on the plinth. Damien frowned.

"I admit I thought of him as _my_ Chris for a time when you were younger but I haven't felt like that since you started actually talking to me rather than hiding against the wall." Damien explained and stopped at the side of the plinth. He reached out a hesitant hand and let it fall lightly on Chris' stomach. He hadn't worn a shirt to bed that night. Chris' breath hitch slightly. "What brought that on?"

Chris lifted his head to look at Damien carefully. "Just been thinking this year about why it is that you talk to me at all. I mean you could just wait for the future Chris to come back and talk to him. You don't need me."

"No I don't." Damien nodded. Chris' eyes widened. "Thus the only explanation for these discussions must be that I _want _to talk to you."

Chris chuckled and sat up. Damien went to pull back his hand as it fell away but Chris caught it. "Thanks." Chris said quietly.

"Like I said. What's brought this on?" Damien asked as he pulled himself up onto the plinth.

"Just with college and everything." Chris shrugged.

"I've been completely honest with you, Chris." Damien prompted.

"Wyatt's officially allowed to hunt demons on his own." Chris blurted infuriated.

"That's not a problem, a few less demons in the world won't hurt anybody." Damien shrugged as they sat cross legged facing each other.

"It's just annoying because mom won't even let me fight with them." Chris sighed.

"Chris." Damien sighed. "I was fighting a war as soon as I was eleven. I miss the loss of my childhood. You're mother just wants you to have a life before your choices are out of her control completely. She wants you to have some fun before you get dropped into the fight."

"Why didn't she tell me that then?" Chris sighed.

"How am I supposed to know?" Damien laughed. "I'm just a demon."

Chris sighed again but his lips twitched into a smile. "Want me to tell you about that happy childhood?" Chris asked suddenly. "You asked me about my life last time."

"Sure." Damien smiled. Chris grinned before spinning around and lying back so his head landed in Damien's lap. Damien looked down in surprise before Chris grabbed his hands and pulled them around onto his chest and held them there. Damien sighed out in relief and twitched his fingers over Chris' skin.

"I think you need to be a bit more confident." Chris declared and turned his head to kiss Damien's arm. Damien rolled his eyes before he stroked Chris' chest. Chris grinned and began to talk telling Damien all about his childhood. About all the good parts, growing up with parents that loved you and a brother and sister that he loved to hate. And then all the bad bits like the demon attacks. Damien listened for five hours or more as Chris just talked, his voice never weakening within the dream.

"I would have liked that life I think." Damien spoke up after Chris talked through to his current life.

"I whine about it I suppose but it was nice." Chris nodded in Damien's lap. "Can I actually sleep in this dream?"

"Not a clue." Damien shrugged. His hands had very slowly explored the entirety of Chris' torso during the explanation stroking the skin softly all the way from the crown of his head to his toned stomach. Now his hands came up to rest on the sides of Chris' face. "Did you want to?" Damien asked as he slowly lowered his head.

"I just feel like I could." Chris tilted his head back to look at Damien slyly. "I feel comfortable, and safe."

"You feel safe with a demon?" Damien asked.

"You're not a demon to me, Damien." Chris suddenly brought his hand up and stopped Damien from kissing him. "Can you take down your illusion? I want to see who you really are."

Damien straightened up but with a sigh he dropped his illusion in the real world and knew the scars he always felt on the side of his face appeared in reality. Chris reached up and pulled Damien's head back down to him. Damien allowed it and softly dropped his lips onto Chris' lips even though he was kissing him upside down. Chris responded lightly before his hands came up onto Damien's face and traced the scars that spread down his left cheek and neck. Many lines that radiated up from his shoulder and up his neck and cheek. They were fading but still hard to the touch. Damien pulled back after a few minutes but kept his head low.

"Are they fading?" Chris asked in a low voice.

"Very slowly." Damien shrugged. "Demons don't normally get hurt this way. It's the first time a demon has been hit with their own Fire Ball, Energy Ball or Fire Matrix and survived. It's not something I plan on doing again."

"Can I see the rest?" Chris asked suddenly sitting up and spinning to face Damien. Damien studied him for a moment before nodded and slipping from the plinth. Chris turned and let his legs fall over the edge. Damien turned to face him and stepped up between his legs. He slowly pulled his t-shirt over his head as part of the dream but held his wrists in the fabric as he lowered his hands in between them. Chris studied the scars. Their meeting point was half way between Damien's left hip and armpit and they radiated out from there spreading around his left arm. Chris traced one from his side all the way over his chest across his heart and then another back from the base of his ear, down his neck, across his shoulder and finally to his side. They weren't lines now rather than patches and beautiful in their own way.

Damien stepped back and pulled his t-shirt back over his head. Chris looked down at his lap. "I hate them." Damien growled.

"They don't look so bad." Chris told him. "I like them actually." Chris' hand came up to rest on Damien's side right over the start of the scars and Damien smiled at him.

They felt the fluttering of the dreamscape that announced their time was over. "I'll miss you." Damien told Chris before kissing him lightly again.

"Damien, you really aren't a demon to me." Chris told him as they pulled away from each other.

Damien smiled as the dreamscape faded and Damien sighed as he found himself back in his real Lair. "Interesting?" Veltin asked him.

"It was nice." Damien admitted to his demon friend.

"You are not what I believed when we first met." Veltin admitted.

"And that worries you?" Damien asked dryly as he drew on his cloak.

"No." Veltin caught his gaze and held it. "It reassures me."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Almost a year later**

The year had been a peaceful one for Damien really. With the demons supposedly working as one to counter this intrusive faction from Asia they were too distracted to hound him. Damien helped out as both Damien and the demon of Caete Ruin from time to time so that neither of his aliases could be accused of helping the Asian faction. What was most surprising though was that the demons in his Underworld were actually managing to stop the Asian faction from their activities.

Damien was reaching out into the mortal world with his telepathy when he felt Veltin calling for him from the Underworld. From the Demonic Market. Damien found him there.

_"What is it, Veltin?"_

_"Your Wicca friend and one of his Aunts are here." _Veltin drawled in amusement. _"Being followed by six demons and two more shimmered away for more."_

Damien shimmered straight out of his Lair and into the market place. There were protections on the market to prevent lower level demons from entering through any means but the door but they were hardly an obstacle for a demon like Damien. He wasn't wearing his cloak this time. If he had to take on demons working for one of the other Demon 'lords' he'd rather lose the others' good will as Damien and not the Demon on Caete Ruin. He reappeared next to Veltin in the bustle of the market and followed his friend's gaze across the crowd to where Chris was walking beside Paige. They were obviously searching for something while pretending to be demons.

Damien gestured with a careless hand and Veltin vanished as he went invisible and slipped into the crowd. Damien studied Chris for a moment. He was now identical to the Chris of the past and Damien wondered if his parents and aunts saw that too. The almost twenty-one year old looked a bit ridiculous in dirtied clothing but still stood out to Damien's eyes. As Damien watched Paige noticed they were being followed and flashed Chris a quick look. Damien knew they could simply orb out since the demon market's ward specifically countered that form of transport.

Resolve passed across Chris' face as he realised that he and his Aunt would have to fight their way out. Damien reached out with his telepathy and Chris found his eyes drawn rapidly to all of those that were laying in ambush. _"You've got about twenty seconds before they attack."_ Damien told him. Chris jumped.

_"Damien?"_ Chris' mental voice was shaky, that of a mind that rarely used itself for that purpose.

_"You're not quite as stealthy as you could have wished." _Damien laughed. _"Best duck."_

The Fire Ball smacked into the post of one of the stalls bringing the top down on the demon vendors head. Chris dove out of the way and Paige ducked low to the ground and tried to hide only to find the stall explode as another demon from behind them attacked. A short but intense fight began as Chris sent telekinetic strikes out to divert the Fire Balls and it almost seemed as though Chris and Paige could have held out against the six demons attacking them. That was until three Upper Level Demons shimmered straight through the wards. Their first combined strike sent both Chris and Paige flying and a Fire Ball grazed Paige's arm.

_"Now Veltin."_ Damien ordered before shimmering across the market and drawing himself up between Chris, Paige and the Upper Level demons. Two of the lower level demons exploded into flame without warning and Veltin appeared between where they'd been standing holding an Energy Ball in his hand almost lazily.

"Damien." One of the demons hissed.

"Alaton." Damien sneered. "Does your Master know you are currently wreaking havoc on the market? It is his domain after all."

"This is by my Master's orders. These two are a good catch. There are Dark Lighters that will pay handsomely for their powers." Alaton laughed nastily.

"My Master is willing to pay more. He has an interest in their powers as well. It is why I am here." Damien spoke bluntly.

"Your Master?" Alaton frowned. "You work for no Master."

Damien smirked and the demons flinched as they put rumours into play. "Caete Ruin?" One of the others gasp.

"And how much is the Order of Caete Ruin willing to pay?" Alaton asked.

"Your lives." Damien smirked and raised his hands. A Fire Matrix spiralled into being on his right palm.

"Not good enough, Damien. You can't take us on, you are not your Master." Alaton leered and sent an Energy Ball at Damien. Damien smothered out his own Fire Matrix and caught the Energy Ball with a laugh before crushing it in his hands. The shocked silence barely lasted a second before the market place was full of shouts as the weaker demons began running for the exit. Damien lashed out and a Fire Matrix smacked into Alaton consuming him in flames. Veltin's Energy Ball wounded one of the other Upper Level demons who glared before firing an Energy Ball back. Veltin waved it away before flicking out with his knife taking the demon in the chest. The demon shimmered away leaving the knife to fall to the floor.

The last Upper level demon yelled out to his followers and together they attack. Damien diverted his Energy Ball even as a Fire Ball hit his shoulder without damage. A wave of telekinesis knocked the lower level demons back and two exploded with spikes of wood that had been orbed into their chests. The last Upper level demon exploded as one of Damien's Fire Matrixes hit him in the chest and together the last three lower level demons ran for the exit.

"See that they don't manage to reach it, Veltin." Damien ordered. Veltin nodded and shimmered down the market after the fleeing demons. Damien turned to Chris and Paige. "Their Master will already have the exit blocked. You have no way to escape?"

The last sentence was as much a question as a statement. Chris shook his head and Damien sighed before shimmering straight in front of them so Paige couldn't do anything nasty to him. He grabbed them both by the upper arms and shimmered out of the Demon Market just as four Upper Level Demons appeared in the middle of it.

He reappeared with his passengers in the middle of his Lair. "Where are we?" Paige demanded as she ducked away from Damien and drew Chris with her.

"Hello Chris." Damien only just kept his smile hidden but Chris grinned back gently. "You are in my Lair."

"Why?" Paige asked.

"Because it's less dangerous than being in the Demon Market." Damien laughed and sat cross legged on his plinth. Paige seemed to relax at the gesture. "Which begs the question as to why you were rather publically strolling through the Demon Market?"

"We were trying to find something." Paige spoke up. Damien raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. "We need a demonic blood stone to make a potion."

"That's a pretty hefting item to use in a potion." Damien whistled. "What's the potion?"

Paige didn't look like she wanted to answer that question so Damien just waited patiently. Chris eventually broke the silence. "Melinda was cursed by poison on a Darklighter's arrow. The Elders can't heal her but they knew of a potion that might do it."

"So the Darklighters are using a new poison?" Damien asked. "That's intriguing."

"Did you know about it?" Paige demanded.

"I don't know everything that happens around here you know, Paige." Damien laughed. "You'll have trouble finding a Blood Stone though. They are not left lying about. Definitely not in the Market, those things are rather expensive and normally only change hands with assassination."

"Fuck!" Chris swore. Paige looked rather defeated.

Damien sighed and waved his hand to his left. An open archway appeared out of the stone wall and lights flared up inside revealing neatly stacked shelves. "There's one in there, Chris. Go get it."

Chris grinned happily and bounced into the stock room. "Why are you helping us?" Paige asked.

"Paige." Damien sighed. "I haven't tried to hurt one of your family since Chris' fourteenth birthday."

"You entered his dreams for two years." Paige spat.

"Twice in two years. You make it sound like I am always in his head." Damien shook his head. "I don't mean your family any harm. I've had time to sort out my mind since my powers were awakened."

"Why is it that everywhere we go the demons are scared to even speak about you?" Paige asked.

"Who Damien or the Demon of Caete Ruin?" Damien asked.

"Caete Ruin?" Paige asked.

"Because as long as they are frightened of me they stay away from me." Damien shrugged.

"Then who was that other Demon at the Market Place?" Paige asked.

"You mean Veltin?" Paige nodded. "Why don't you ask him? He's standing to your right."

Paige spun around and Veltin dropped his invisibility. Paige flinched. "I'm a half breed." Veltin smiled. "Damien protects me in turn for my assistance."

"He's very good at finding things out for me. It was him that alerted me that you were in the Demon Market earlier. It's a good thing too or both of you would be dead." Damien spoke up just as Chris came back into the room with a box lined in red velvet with a glowing stone inside. "What possessed you to go alone?"

"Piper and Leo had to stay with Melinda and Wyatt is out of town." Paige admitted. "Phoebe was trying to start the potion."

"Bring that here Chris." Damien lifted a hand as Chris approached with rather faked cautiousness. Damien lifted the stone from the box and set on his lap before concentrating flooding the stone with his own power before taking the knife that Veltin tossed to him and cutting his palm and letting his blood settle into the surface. "It is a good thing you ran into me really."

"Why?" Chris asked.

"These are only useful under certain circumstances. Used to make antidotes they must be blessed by a demon of greater power than the one that cast the original curse or powered the poison." Damien explained. "And the power fades within two days."

"What else can they do?" Paige asked.

"That I won't be telling you while my blood powers the stone." Damien told her harshly. "It will do you little good without a demon to power it but you may keep hold of this one. I can easily find another if I require one."

"Thanks Damien." Chris grinned at him getting a suspicious look from his Aunt.

"Oh." Damien paused before lowering the wards to let them orb out. "Try to avoid being shot again."

"We do try." Paige sniped before orbing away.

"Thanks Damien." Chris told him again with a properly grateful smile this time. Damien nodded at him before he vanished.

"Veltin?" Damien asked as soon as the Lair was empty of witches.

"I know. I'll go find the Darklighters."

"Just find which ones used the poison and summon me. Caete Ruin might like to have a chat about this rather promising poison of theirs." Damien grinned and Veltin rolled his eyes knowing perfectly well why Damien would want the poison. Damien slipped out telepathically to watch what Paige and Chris were doing with his Bloodstone. If they knew what to do they could easily bind his powers temporarily with its new connection to him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**A week later**

The thirty-nine or twenty-six year old Damien, depending on how you looked at it watched as the shirtless twenty-one year old Chris lay back on the plinth with a relieved sigh. "You're a bit drunk." Damien noticed.

"I don't feel drunk." Chris pointed out with a grin.

"It doesn't affect your dreams but I could feel it in your mind when I entered. The nausea really wasn't that nice an experience thank you." Damien told him. Chris grinned at him. "Have a nice birthday party?" Chris asked.

"It was ok except Wyatt kept trying to be helpful and share his worldly experience while Uncle Henry, Uncle Coup and Dad kept sharing their life history." Chris laughed. "They are all really bad drunks."

Damien laughed. "I got you a birthday present."

"What is it?" Damien asked.

"It seems that when the Darklighters came up with that poison for their arrows they all took antidotes for themselves." Damien explained. "They were willing to part with how to make the antidote for a certain price."

"What price?"

"The destruction of a rival Darklighter Forge." Damien told him.

"Two for one deal!" Chris sat up with a grin.

"Chris, be careful with this Forge, they are stronger than the others and they don't use the same tactics." Damien told him.

Chris span around and dropped his legs over the side of the plinth. He made a come hither gesture and Damien complied and moved up between his legs. Chris dropped his hands on Damien's hips. "If I promise to take this seriously will you chill out?"

"I'm just worried about you." Damien told him. "It's a big year for you."

"Whenever it happens." Chris sighed. Damien traced his jaw bone with a finger and leaned in for a quick kiss. "Aunt Paige knows about this by the way."

Damien flinched backwards. "This?" Damien glanced down at Chris' hands still on his hips.

"Well no, not this exactly." Chris laughed and flushed ever so slightly. "I meant she knows you've been visiting me on all by birthdays except for my eighteenth."

"And she said?"

"She wasn't all that happy about it I can tell you that but I managed to convince her that you hadn't tried to hurt me." Chris told him.

"And she hasn't told Piper?" Damien asked.

"Not that I know of." Chris shrugged. "I told her I'm old enough to make my own choices now. Besides they all know that either on November 19th or just after my twenty-second _he'll _come back and Mom is worried that he'll replace me in some way and she hopes he doesn't but then she feels guilty for not want _him_ back."

"And you?" Damien prompted.

Chris sighed and scooted back along the plinth and crossed his legs. He urged Damien to lie back on the plinth and Damien switched their positions of a year ago by laying his head on Chris' legs. "Can I?" Chris asked as he reached down to Damien's waist and gripped the bottom of his t-shirt. Damien nodded but bit his lip all the same when Chris pulled his t-shirt over his head and dropped it down to the side of the plinth. Chris' hands traced where he knew the scars to be and he caught Damien's eyes with a pleading look. Damien sighed but dropped his illusion and Chris smiled and traced each of the scars as he spoke. "I don't really know how I feel about it. He was really brave and everything and I suppose I just worry that to mom, dad, Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe I simply won't live up to his standard."

"I don't think that, Chris." Damien told him. "You've had different lives now but you're no different to him in reality. He'll have different strengths but so will you."

Chris sighed but nodded. They sat that way in silence for a while with Chris' hands tracing Damien's skin as Damien found himself relaxing completely. Damien eventually told Chris everything about what had been happening in the Underworld and then Chris told him about the last year and his hopes for the next one. The conversation eventually led to the possibility of more between the two of them but Damien really didn't know what to offer and Chris obviously picked up on it since after another few minutes of silence he spoke up.

"Why don't you want to try for more?" Chris asked irritably. "I've had three boyfriends in the four years since I was seventeen and I've never even felt remotely as comfortable around them as I have in these dreams. Is it because you're scared?"

Damien turned his head on the side. He knew why he didn't want to risk it but how was he supposed to explain to Chris that he was scared of Chris realising he was a freak or a demon and not wanting him anymore. He was scared of Chris leaving him. Damien sat up as a way came to him. He jumped down onto the floor and pulled his t-shirt over his head. "You're going to need to stand up or you'll fall onto the floor."

Chris frown in confusion but slipped off of the plinth. "What is it, Damien? I'm sorry if you're mad at me."

Damien shook his head. "I'm going to show you the people that have left my life so you can understand why I worry about you doing the same."

"How can you do that?" Chris asked with a frown.

"This Lair is just the image I set up for the dream. I can change it to show memories or pictures of imagination." Damien explained before concentrating. The red walls and floor vanished and they both found themselves in the centre of green grass. A beautiful cottage sat at the end of the grass back yard. Trees stretching pleasantly out to its sides like wings. The grass they were on led down to a beautiful blue lake. Damien turned to look down at a five foot high twisting statue of marble like three flames twisting around each other. On the bottom were the words 'Harry Potter – 31st July 1980 to 17th April 1981 – Beloved Son – It is terrible that any parent should ever outlive their child.'

Chris gasped as he read the headstone and Damien knelt and ran a hand over the grass that covered what was in essence his brother. His twin really since whether in truth or not they had shared their birthday and destinies. "Ready for the next one, Chris?" Damien asked.

Chris nodded uncertainly and the scene shifted, they didn't move but in an instant it was night time and a moment later they heard a panicked shout. "Lily! Take Harry and run." The voice's next words were cut off in a cry of despair. A few moments later was the second half of what Damien had always experienced at the hands of the Dementors.

"No! Please not Harry. Take me instead!" Lily's voice cried.

"Get out of the way girl!" The hiss of a voice sneered before they heard the horrible Avada Kadavra and a soft thump and the crying of a baby. Damien was imagining this part of course, he couldn't actually remember what had happened but he could imagine it all the same. A second Killing Curse was cast and a split second the top half of the building shattered and blasted away. Flames spread throughout the house as Voldemort fled screaming in pain. Damien shifted the view to what he knew the house to look like now. A burnt out shell that only just resembled the beautiful cottage.

"That's horrible." Chris winced.

"It was only what I imagined happened. I only remember that they were killed, not whether they were tortured first." Damien told him before concentrated on another shift. It was only a quick one to his first real memory. They were in the hallway of the Dursley home. Chris frowned in confusion and Damien gestured at the under stairs cupboard. Chris' eyes widened as he heard the sound of sobbing through the door. Damien shook his head to stop Chris was opening the door. He didn't want Chris seeing him like that.

"Please." The small voice sobbed. "Take me away from here."

The scene shifted again and they were outside in the front garden as Vernon Dursley bolted a cage over his bedroom window. "See if you can get out of there, boy!" The overly large man hissed eagerly. Chris gritted his teeth.

Damien braced himself before the next shift and suddenly they were in the endless hall of Prophecy as his younger self reached out to take the orb from the shelf, the one with Harry Potter's name on it. He was shoved backwards violently.

"What's wrong, mate?" Ron asked in confusion.

"It's not letting me take it." His younger safe was confused.

"It must not be about you then." Hermione spoke more to herself but they all heard it.

Damien shifted the scene again before the argument and fight with the Death Eaters could begin. They were now amidst the fighting around the Veil until with a cry of pain from Damien's younger self Sirius was thrown back through the Veil to his death.

The scene shifted quickly to the inside of Dumbledore Office. "I'm sorry I was, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore was explaining to a shaking fifteen year old. "The Prophecy was obviously meant for another. You'd be best returning to your relatives."

"They hate me, Professor." Harry Potter pleaded.

"That's all, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore dismissed him. Damien, standing at Chris' side actually growled at the old man.

Another shift put them back at the Dursley's house watching a sixteen year old Harry receive yet another unopened letter that his best friends had rejected. "That was the sixth letter I wrote to my best friends begging them to take me away from my relatives." Damien explained to a confused Chris. "I sent another eight but the two of them never said another word to me without disdain behind it."

A series of flashed were run through as Damien showed Chris snippets of the treatment Damien went through at Hogwarts that year as the treatment slowly became more violent and Damien's younger self slowly changed from the outward boy to the dark person he was now.

The last scene was in front of them before Damien was completely ready for it even if Damien had brought it into being. Ron raised his wand and Damien's younger self was thrown backwards into the wall and with a crack his arm broke. He fell to the floor as Ron strode forwards and spat on him. The younger boy pushed himself to his feet and with a rather shaky hand levelled his wand at Ron.

"What are you going to do with that, Potter?" Ron sneered.

"You're not a powerful Wizard, Harry. Not like we thought." Hermione spoke up with an obnoxious shake of her head. "Didn't you think we'd see through your lies in the end? Your parents obviously died for nothing."

With a roar of utter pain the almost seventeen year old lashed out with his wand and magic sending Hermione flying backwards. A mild pain curse struck him from Ron and he fell to the floor. "Mr. Potter!" The sharp voice brought a relieved look to the younger Damien's face but the look vanished as he looked up and saw the look of outrage on Minerva McGonagall's face. "How dare you attack Miss. Granger!"

"But what about what she said?" Chris gasped at the deadness of Damien's voice back then. Barely more than a whisper full of pair but more of a longing to be listened to, but there was also very little hope in it.

"I heard what she said, Mr. Potter." McGonagall shook her head. "I will have to take off ten point Miss. Granger. Mr. Potter, you are pushing our limits. Do you wish to be expelled for cursing other students? Try to control your urges."

Damien growled and wished he could blast the old woman into pieces. "Damien?" Chris sounded shaky. "I've seen enough."

Damien looked at Chris and then down at the sixteen year old braced against the wall hugging his broken arm into his chest as the rest just walked away. "Do you see the vast difference between Good and Evil?" He asked Chris who just stared at him in pity verging on horror. "Evil just kills because it is the way it is. Only Good causes pain in the process."

"Damien." Chris sighed.

Damien crouched down at the sixteen year old Harry Potter's side and studied him for a moment. "Sometime I wish they'd just killed me in this corridor. They filled me with such anger and hatred that when I became a demon I stood no chance of turning evil. Could you have withstood it Chris?"

"I don't think anybody could, Damien."

"It would have been best just to have killed me then." Damien ducked his head and reached out a hand destroying the image of his younger self curled up against the wall.

"No!" Chris snapped and tugged him up. "Get us back to your Lair!"

Damien complied and the two of them found themselves standing there. "That corridor was the final blow to the idea of Harry Potter. It was the proof that everybody I had ever none had betrayed me."

"I understand." Chris side and hugged him for the first time. Wrapping his arms around Damien's waist and letting his head nestle into the side of his neck. "You have to realise I wouldn't do that to you. The other Chris loved you and he watched you kill mom. I have no reason to hate you like he must have."

Damien sighed and let his eyes fall shut. They both felt the dream shift as Chris began to wake but neither moved even as Damien withdrew his telepathy letting the dream fade but leaving careful instructions on the poison antidote in Chris' head. His arms felt empty when he reopened his eyes and he realised in shock that he was crying.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

That year the 19th of November passed in a nervous silence for both Damien and the Halliwells. Damien studied the world for anything for most of the year. The Asian Faction of the Underworld was really starting to push up their activities and twice a demon had appeared in battles who was so powerful that none had escaped to tell the tale. After that Damien learnt that two of the clans in his part of the Underworld had switched allegiances and Damien moved in as the Demon of Caete Ruin to make sure none of the others attempted the same thing. They quickly learned that they lasted longer fighting this other new demon then they did if they switched sides.

Chris' twenty-second birthday passed in the same manner as his twenty-first in that Damien met him in his mind and they talked and kissed lightly but by some unspoken agreement neither mentioned anything about what could happen in a few days time. Paige had accepted the inevitable visit and according to Chris she hadn't told anybody else about Chris' big secret.

It was a few days after Chris' birthday when Damien felt it while he was listening to the magic of the mortal realm. A huge influx of power that reeked of Good magic. Damien also sensed the presence of three Elders, three Charmed Ones and a half dozen other Witches within the Halliwell Manor. Damien decided a party was only complete with when all forces were represented. He shimmered directly into the Halliwell Manor laying illusions over himself to hide his presence.

Chris was on the sofa shaking wildly with Piper pillowing his head on her lap. Wyatt was standing behind the sofa chewing on his finger nails with the eighteen year old Melinda at his side. Leo was pacing in front of the mantel piece casting nervous glances at his second son who seemed to be in a feverish nightmare.

Paige and Phoebe entered the room as Damien watched from the doorway. They were carrying the Book of Shadows and Damien had to duck away from it to prevent it from betraying his presence to the others. The three Elders however were a different matter. They stood calmly in the sunlight coming through the window and seemed to be monitoring the magic that was spiralling around Chris.

"It is as we predicted." One of the Elders sighed. "Their minds are merging into one."

"What will happen to our Chris?" Leo rounded on his former compatriots.

"He will cease to exist as he was." The Elder told him. "He will absorb the memories and personality of the future Chris and become a single entity."

"Personalities can't combine like that." Phoebe argued.

Damien reached out with his telepathy and found Chris in his mind, he was welcoming this new entity in with what could only be open arms. "Another presence is here, trying to tamper with the magic." One of the Elders gasped.

Damien felt magic flood the room but countered it before it could reveal him. "A powerful being. A Dark being attracted by the magic."

"What is it?" Leo asked moving to protect his feverish son.

"Damien!" Piper hissed angrily and wrapped her arms around Chris. "You leave him alone."

Damien cast an illusion of himself where Leo had been pacing in front of the fire. "Every powerful demon in the Underworld can sense this happening." Damien told them through the illusion.

"Be gone, Demon!" What seemed to be the most powerful of the Elders demanded. A stab of lightning struck through Damien's chest but the illusion vanished instead of exploding. It appeared again behind the sofa. "Another illusion." The Elder spat angrily.

"Be silent Elder." Damien's illusion glared but Damien himself was more interested in the warning Veltin was sending him. "You are idiots to think that so many Whitelighters and Elders in the same place around a magical influx would not attract the Darklighters."

The Elders frowned but Damien felt the magic swirl out and had to banish the illusion of himself to maintain his own illusion. Two Darklighter appeared at his sides a moment later. Two more by the fire place, two more behind Wyatt and Melinda and three facing the Elders.

The two by Damien died rather rapidly without even seeing where Damien was. The three that had appeared in front of the Elders died at the hand of lightning. Wyatt stabbed one of the Darklighter near him and Paige turned one of the fired arrows against its own shooter. Piper blew up one of the last as Wyatt blew up the very last.

"The two by the door?" Paige eyed the empty space just before another four Darklighters appeared firing straight away. One arrow hit Paige in the shoulder, another exploded along with its owner thanks to Wyatt. Another died due to the Elders but the last managed to fire at the prone Chris before Piper blew him up. Damien's Fire Matrix caught the arrow in midflight and burned it up before the Matrix hit the wall behind Wyatt and Melinda.

"Come out, Damien." Piper ordered.

Damien shrugged and appeared instantly casting a Fire Matrix as a warning to the Elders. "I take it they weren't following your orders?" Paige asked with a gasp. One of the Elders came up beside her and started healing her wound all the while keeping an eye on Damien.

"If they were I would not have killed two of them." Damien told her before taking a step into the room.

"Why are you here?" Leo narrowed his eyes at Damien who barely even flinched. His expression calm without his hood to cover his face.

"Curiosity." Damien told him. "Chris has welcomed the new memories into his mind."

"How do you know that?" Piper glared. "We blocked his mind from telepathy long ago."

"That spell faded a long time ago." Damien shrugged stepping further into the room. Wyatt flinched as if getting ready to kill him. "Where do you think Chris got the antidote for that poison from?"

"And he didn't tell us?" Leo frowned.

"He saw no reason to." Paige told her older sister. "I found out last year."

"What are you going to do now?" Piper asked. "You can't take him and there is no way you can stand up to all of us here."

"Three Elders, five Witches." Wyatt glared at him. "I like those odds."

"I had no intention of taking him from you right now but tell him that at midnight in three days I will lower the wards on my Lair for him to enter." Damien told her.

"Why?" Piper asked.

"I want to talk to him is all."

"Why should we tell him anything?" Piper asked.

"I'll be there." Chris suddenly spoke up wearily from his mother's lap. Damien smiled down at the conscious witch before shimmering away.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

End Chapter

A/N; I haven't completely decided on what to do with Chris' mind yet. I'm torn between either having him completely blend with the other Chris or to have both consciousnesses in the same body, sharing all of their memories but with the two Chris' being able to think and act through the body. What do you all think?


	6. Necessary Evil

Torn between Sides

A/N; People may realise that this story is coming to an end...rather a shock since it's only six chapters long but the chapters are rather long. This isn't the last chapter but we're getting there.

Chapter 6; Necessary Evil

**Damien's Lair**

Damien paced backwards and forwards through the red mist that covered almost a quarter of his lair. Veltin had already made himself scarce claiming sanity in all of this. Damien had announced to the Charmed Ones that he was going to drop the protective wards around his Lair and Veltin didn't plan to be here if they all decided to orb in and try to kill Damien.

It was now almost fifteen minutes after midnight almost exactly three days after the two Chris' had combined. Chris was either late or he'd lied and never planned to meet with Damien. It was just coming to the seventeenth minute when the almost silent sound of orbs alerted Damien as to a guest. Damien almost sighed with relief, he didn't like having the wards down around his Lair. It was too much of an invitation for other Demons.

Damien turned to take in the form that appeared from the cloud of orbs and took a step backwards when he saw it was Chris, but a Chris holding a potions vial that stunk of powerful magic. Damien blanched and knew that a pained look had passed across his face when Chris frowned in confusion. "If you planned to use that on me then I'm not sure I care to stop you." Damien told Chris without emotion.

Chris frowned and glanced down at his hand. A vaguely disgusted look crossed his face before he set the potions vial down on a ledge behind him. "I didn't plan on using that. Wyatt, mom and Aunt Phoebe spent the day making it and wouldn't let me leave unless I took it with me."

Damien sighed out in relief and a small smile flitted across his features. He wasn't wearing his hood but his illusions were up covering the faint star-like scars that spread up the left side of his face. "I'm glad you came, Chris." Damien told him.

"There was never any doubt we'd come." Chris told him with a broad grin.

"We?" Damien's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah." Chris laughed and shook his head at the same time before moving across the room to sit on the plinth under the ebbing red tide that circled it. His voice changed ever so slightly before he spoke again. "Never seen that before."

"I'm confused." Damien told him bluntly.

"That was the Chris from the other time frame." The slightly brighter voice told him. "We're both here."

"That's..." Damien bit his lip and started pacing again.

"It's strange." The slightly darker Chris told him. "But I don't think it's permanent."

Damien turned and was in front of Chris in a second. His fingers came up and Chris didn't even flinch as his fingers came to rest on his temples. Damien delved into Chris' mind and opened his eyes again to find himself still standing in his lair except there were now two Chris'. One still sat on the plinth while the other stood to one side. The two looked at each other and the one on the plinth grinned. "That makes it easier."

"Fancy telling me which one of you is which?" Damien asked dryly.

The Chris standing by the side frowned for a moment and his clothing changed. They'd arrived wearing blue jeans, a green shirt and black leather jacket but now his clothing went black and he only wore a sleeveless t-shirt. "I'm the one that travelled back in time and arrived again three days ago."

Damien smiled at him. "I missed you."

"I know you did." That Chris told him. "I can see all of his memories." He twitched his head to the one still sitting on the plinth. They were carbon copies apart from the slightly more shaded look to the time travelling one. "I've been calling him Chrisy for clarification."

"And I've been calling you a jack-arse." 'Chrisey' retorted without missing a beat.

"What does your family think about that?" Damien interrupted the argument quickly. "Not the jack-arse comment!"

Both laughed but the darker Chris answered. "They're just glad that they're not losing either one of us. I really don't know what we're going to do in the long run though. They've been trying everything in the last few days to get an idea about what will happen to us. The Elders think that I'm fading."

Surprisingly it was the Chris of this time frame that got up and hugged his other self. He rested his chin on his shoulder and sighed. "I've been dying to hug you." He told his other self.

"I take it you're just voices normally?" Damien asked and sat on the plinth.

"It's like we're both normal but randomly hearing another voice or our body does strange things." The same Chris told him as he pulled out of his hug. "We're both in control whenever we want it. It's kind of a relief to be like this."

"What do they all get from you?" Damien asked.

"Aunt Phoebe can't make out anything from us. It gives her a headache to be around us. Uncle Coup's the same though he thinks our desires are along the same line." This time's Chris explained. "The Elders had trouble getting in to work out what was happening."

"And they think that you will fade?" Damien asked looking at the Chris he hadn't seen for so long. He nodded. "Well I can tell you a few things."

"What?" He asked.

"The Elders are idiots. I'm a better Telepath." Damien listed off on his fingers before smirking at them both. "And neither of you are fading. You're combining."

"How do you know that?" This time's Chris asked.

"Because I'm having to use my magic to separate you but you're both the same strength to my telepathy. You're basically two people equally sharing the same body." Damien explained patiently.

"So neither of us will die?" The Chris from this time asked.

"No." Damien assured him. "Though you'll merge slowly."

"How do you know that?" The other Chris asked.

"Because in the time it's taken to have this conversation I've had to increase the amount of power it takes to keep the two of you separated in this state." Damien explained. "Granted the increase in extremely small but it shows that you are slowly combining. My guess is that you'll both alter personalities slowly to be something in between what you were before until the point where you'd both react to things exactly the same and there won't be a distinction. I think that in a few months you'll only disagree over a few things and it'll only be like a second opinion to you."

"I think you're right." The past Chris nodded. "Earlier when mom tried to give us that potion we refused to take it but neither of us can say which of us refused."

"So when we agree on something perfectly we might as well be the same person?" The other Chris told him.

"Exactly." Damien nodded. "Answer me this though. Which one of fell down the stairs in third grade and broke their leg?"

"Me." Both told him before looking at each other in shock. The Chris from the previous time-frame frowned and shook his head before speaking. "I didn't, that was you."

"You're absorbing each other and when you don't think about it you both claim the same past." Damien explained. "I think it will be the major stuff that takes longer to absorb."

"Like what?" The Chris of this time frame asked.

Damien drew himself up before asking the question this time. "Who killed your mother?"

"You did." The past Chris told him even as the Chris of this time frame told him that his mother was alive.

"That's what I mean." Damien sighed and sagged slightly. There was an awkward silence for a time especially with the Chris of this time frame that had no reason to hate Damien.

Damien looked down at the ground but felt his head being lifted by the darker clothed Chris. "I'm glad you didn't this time." He told Damien. "But I saw the reason behind the attack this time."

"You can't say that that would make a difference to you if I had killed her." Damien accused.

"But you didn't kill my mother." He argued. "You never did. The other you did."

Before Damien could argue that, Chris had leant in and was kissing him. Damien melted into the kiss and a moment later felt somebody sit against his back. He was wrapped up in arms as a pair of lips met the back of his neck and a hand traced over his scars on his side running over where he knew they were.

Damien missed the moment where he should have increased power to his telepathy and for a moment the two kissing him merged together as one. The one behind him faded and the Chris in front of him that had never seen the scars on his torso began mapping them out with his fingers. Damien lost track of the power rise and found himself standing between Chris' legs in the real world as he kissed the other man. Chris' hand was still tracing the scars lightly and as Damien deepened the kiss his hand moved up under Damien's black t-shirt and felt for the scars that were hidden under his illusion.

"Please, Damien." Chris told him but this time there was only one Chris. For their need of Damien, there was only one Chris. Damien could no longer sense a division between the two of them. Damien broke the kiss as Chris spoke and with a flicker of thought his illusion fell and his scars appeared across his neck and cheek and under Chris' fleeting fingers. Damien shivered at the contact and Chris delved back into the kiss which Damien happily accepted.

They were both shirtless and out of breath hours later when they eventually broke apart and at the very thought of going home Damien sensed their minds separate again. The Chris from the altered timeline didn't care about going home, he wanted to stay with Damien, whereas the current Chris wanted to tell his family they were still alive. Damien kissed Chris one last time before lowering his wards knowing that even if the other Chris wanted to stay here he knew he had to go.

Damien felt tears in his eyes as he watched Chris vanish into orbs but finally didn't feel so torn between Evil and Good. He was neutral now and he didn't fight for either. He fought for his own happiness and for Chris.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Two weeks later**

Veltin shimmered into Damien's lair and instantly turned around in a complete circle to locate his friend. "Damien!"

Damien entered through the wall that led into the storage unit. "What?"

"Saimarnen is attacking the Charmed Ones." Veltin told him.

"How big is his attack?" Damien asked.

"Not big enough to kill them." Veltin suddenly frowned. "But he's got two Wizards attacking and some of Kataian's shapeshifters as a distraction."

"So he's after something?" Damien mused. "Go to the Halliwell Manor but stay out of trouble, if you have to step in to save one of them do it. Follow the fleeing demons back to Saimarnen and then summon me. I will aid Chris telepathically with my magic."

Veltin nodded before turning invisible and then shimmering away. Damien returned to his room and pulled his cloak over his head before sitting down on the plinth to reach out his mind. He found the Halliwell Manor with practiced ease and had to fight his way through the nexus of power that protected the family. He delved into Chris' mind but set himself up in the part of his mind that dealt with his powers and again couldn't speak with him. Chris was crouched down behind a door frame with his younger sister at his side huddled away from the fight. He was clearly protecting her.

Damien caught sight of Piper and Wyatt in the doorway to the hall but it seemed almost as if the entire house was under attack. Damien threw his powers into Chris' body and though seriously weakened Chris suddenly felt the minds of every person and demon in the house including the shapeshifter hidden behind Wyatt waiting for the perfect opportunity. Chris went to wave his hand to throw the plant pot across the room but when he raised his hand a Fire Matrix appeared over his palm.

Damien felt Chris' shock at the sudden change but was proud of him when the half-Whitelighter stood from behind the door frame and made a throwing movement. The plant pot shimmered and turned back into a demon in an attempt to avoid the Fire Matrix but the missile slammed into him turning the demon into nothing more than ashes. Chris stared at his hand in shock for a moment before Melinda yelled out at him. Chris ducked down but still saw the fire ball coming at him. Wyatt jumped in front of him and his blue shield covered them both, absorbing the fire ball. Chris, with his new power, summoned another Fire Matrix and sent it through the shield at the last demon he could sense in the house.

The demon shimmered away and the Fire Matrix tore apart the mirror in the other room. "Chris?" Wyatt asked him with a raised eyebrow. "What the hell?"

"I don't know. I could sense all the demons too." Chris gasped and his vision spun to face a very pale looking Piper.

"It _is_ Chris." Melinda spoke up. "I've been at his side the entire time."

"Damien can get into his mind." Wyatt growled out. "Are you there?"

Damien of course couldn't say anything in his present state. "It is his powers." Chris mused and his telepathy could have given me his powers temporarily.

"In which case he knew about the attack." Wyatt pointed out angrily.

"And saved your life." Chris pointed out. "Damien, if you are there we've got a problem."

"Chris, don't involve a demon." Piper warned him.

"He's not just a demon to me, mom." Chris told her. "Both of us agree on that one. We're one with anything to do with him."

"I don't trust him." Wyatt told Chris.

"Deal with it Wyatt." Chris told him perhaps more harshly than necessary. "Damien, if you can hear me, they got Melinda with a potion. They collected her powers, all of them."

Damien felt surprise course through him, that was why Veltin had reported only a small attack. It was a diversion so they could get at the Charmed Ones powers. Damien returned to his own body with a growl and reached out to Veltin. He found Veltin easily enough and barely stood from his plinth before he shimmered out of his lair and to his friend. Within the cavern system belonging to Saimarnen. One of the three most powerful of the Upper Level Demons if you didn't count Damien.

He appeared beside Veltin and placed a hand on his arm even before becoming invisible to anybody else. Veltin flinched but Damien's mind met his and soothed him. Damien walked across the cavern through the assembled demons. There was a lot of power here, easily fifty demons and most of them among the top thirty percent bracket when it came to power. If there Charmed Ones were to attack they'd be killed. Damien headed around so he was behind Saimarnen and the other few extremely powerful Demons here. Together these four Demons could give Damien trouble.

A demon ran into the room and Damien recognised him as the one that Chris had scared out of the Manor with the last Fire Matrix. He tumbled to the ground at Saimarnen's feet with a deeply drawn-in breath. "Where is it?" Saimarnen asked.

"I have it, my Master." The demon told him. "I managed to grab it but the second eldest son. He has more power."

"No." Damien interrupted appearing in a ripple of air. Saimarnen had an energy ball turned on him in a moment but Damien simply showed one of his wrists to them all showing one of his blazing triangles. "I stepped in to prevent the death of a Charmed One or one of their family."

"And why did you do such a thing?" One of the others, Lucain, asked.

"Watch your tone with me, Lucain." Damien warned him. "If you kill or permanently harm any member of that family we will have a full out war with them."

"And your point?" Lucain sneered.

The air around Damien rippled as his magic throbbed. Lucain and most of the others in the cavern took an involuntary step away. "We have enough to worry about without the Charmed Ones attacking us. It is well known that if you attack the Charmed Ones you die."

"You seem to have gotten away with it several times." Saimarnen pointed out dryly.

"Not everyone has my power." Damien pointed out. "On that point I will take the girl's power back."

"Why should we give them up?" Saimarnen asked. "The whole point of the attack was to take their powers. Once we have them all we can turn them against the invading Demons."

"And you expect that their side will permit that?" Damien asked. "You can't expect to be able to do that again. They'll attack in force and not even this rabble will help you."

"What do you expect us to do against these invading demons then?" Saimarnen asked.

"Unite." Damien told him. There was a ripple throughout the cavern as Damien said this.

"Under who?" Saimarnen. "There is only one demon in America powerful enough to hold the title of Source and that is you. The Eastern Seaboard will not unite with us without a leader."

"Then I will take the position." Damien leered. There was a shocked gasp throughout the cavern at this declaration but Damien hated himself for it. He knew that if he didn't give them a way to unite they'd search for other ways of defending themselves even if it meant siphoning more powers and Damien couldn't risk them going after the Charmed Ones. "Send messengers to the Eastern Seaboard and spread the word. You have four days to decide. I will be in the Wastes of Caete Ruin at midnight four days from now."

Saimarnen bowed to him and Damien wondered vaguely if the demon was pleased by his announcement. Veltin appeared beside the demon from the attack. "The powers?" Veltin asked with dry humour in his voice.

"Give them to Veltin." Damien ordered the demon who complied without complaint. "As of this moment any demon that attacks the Charmed Ones or any member of their family will face my wrath."

Damien accepted the small chest from Veltin. Inside were Melinda Halliwell's powers. Almost equal in power to most of the demons in this cavern. Damien shimmered away with Veltin on his tail but instead of going with his friend back to his lair, Damien shimmered straight into the hallway of Halliwell Manor.

There was a scream from his right and he turned his hooded face to see Melinda and Chris in the living room. There was a crash from the direction of the staircase and Piper and Wyatt appeared a moment later just as Paige, Phoebe, Leo and the Cupid, Coup, appeared from the direction of the kitchen. Wyatt's hands twitched up at Damien but Damien's right hand came up and the explosion was caught in a nexus of power just in front of his hand.

"Damien?" Chris asked quickly standing in front of his sister protectively in case it wasn't him. Damien turned to look at him before lifting his right hand to lower his hood. He dropped the illusion that covered his scars before his face was revealed and he saw Chris' eyes dart to the light scars. Damien turned back to face Wyatt, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Leo and Coup and raised an eyebrow at them. Their eyes flickered to the scars and Damien almost saw a wince of sympathy from Piper before he was distracted by Wyatt's hands which rose to take another shot.

"I'll retaliate against your next attack, Wyatt." Damien warned him.

"Wyatt, lay off would you?" Chris snapped though his voice was darker and Wyatt winced. They all knew it was the Chris who's brother had been evil that was speaking. "People change or are you not proof of that? The other world is gone and with it the Damien that killed mom."

"Chris..." Piper trailed off at the harsh glare from her second son.

"Don't be so harsh, Chris." Damien sighed. "I am unannounced but I thought that Melinda would like this back." As Damien spoke he lifted his left hand and showed them the small iron case, Chris stepped forwards with a frown of confusion. "The attack wasn't to kill any of you but to collect powers. The Demons are worried about the new threat and hoped that with your powers they could come out stronger."

"And you stole them back?" Wyatt scoffed. "You expect us to believe that?"

Damien handed Chris the chest. "Melinda needs to open it, it shouldn't hurt."

Chris handed the chest to his sister and she bit her tongue before opening it. White orbs flew from the chest and swirled around her before settling into her chest. She gasped but smiled again. Damien turned to look at Wyatt. "I didn't steal them back. I ordered the Demons to give them to me."

"Won't they realise you gave them back?" Piper asked.

"For starters you don't expect me to believe you are worried about them turning on me?" Damien smirked. "You'd like that wouldn't you, Piper?"

"Damien?" Chris pleaded, this time it was this times one. Damien threw him a calming look.

"The Demons are well aware that I intended to give you back the powers." Damien told them. "I've also ordered the local Underworld to leave your family alone."

"What!?" Leo and Coup both gasped.

"The Charmed Ones and their families are now off limits to all demons." Damien shrugged. "That protection does not cover you if you attack them however. I'd suggest taking a holiday from demon hunting."

"Why?" Piper asked.

"More importantly...how?" Paige frowned.

"They'll follow the orders of the Source of the American Underworlds." Damien sighed.

"You said you wouldn't do that!" Chris gasped.

"I'm running out of options." Damien told him sadly. "As to why? The Underworld in Asia has taken over much of Africa and Europe and they move constantly against the Americas. If the demons don't fight back then this Source will have complete control of the Underworlds. I have to unite the Underworlds here in order to put up a fight."

"And that puts you in direct control of three Underworlds." Leo frowned. "Western, Eastern and Southern."

"Luckily the western Underworld in the most powerful." Damien shrugged. "He already controls five."

"But the army of demons you summoned?" Piper asked.

"That was a summon of the armies of all Underworlds." Damien told her. "If I did it again he'd counter it."

"And if you kill him?" Chris asked.

"I will have to take control of all the Underworlds or they'd turn on me." Damien told him. "That's why I tried to avoid doing this."

"Just let the damn demons kill each other off." Wyatt suggested.

"Wyatt." Leo spoke up. "That would mean outright war above ground. There'd be nothing left."

"Exactly." Damien sighed. "This is why I suggest taking a holiday from demon hunting. I don't want any of you hurt."

"Oh, I believe that." Wyatt scoffed.

Damien turned his gaze on the most powerful Witch in the world and held the other man's eyes for a moment. "Damien?" Chris asked and stepped closer.

"They can believe what they like." Damien spoke quietly before turning to look at the Cupid. "I'm well aware that the Elders will order all Good Witches to kill me the moment I become the Source. Warn them that I care little for Good or Evil. If they attack me I will respond in kind and I have ways to carry out that threat."

"The Elders wouldn't..." Chris started.

"Yes they will, Chris." Coup spoke up. "It's law. A united Underworld is too dangerous."

Damien smiled slightly at Chris. "Looks like we're on different sides again, Chris."

"No." Chris stepped forwards to grab him but Damien shimmered away leaving behind only an echoing 'sorry' in his wake. Damien knew what he was doing was right. If he didn't take control of the Underworld it would turn on him and the Charmed Ones to survive. This way they all lived even if Damien had to sacrifice his happiness to do it. Even if Damien had to slip back towards Evil again.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Four days later – The Wastes of Caete Ruin**

Damien had chosen this place for one main reason, he had total control over it. Even with the Pyramid crippled it still held power. It boosted him, it guided him and it reminded the other demons that they were facing somebody who was far beyond their powers. Even the most powerful of the demons was a far cry weaker than Damien. As Damien stood under the eaves of the entrance to the Pyramid he sought out and found the most powerful being in the gathering crowd of Upper level demons.

There were almost two hundred Upper level demons here, probably the greatest concentration of power in America for hundreds of years. But the most powerful there apart from himself wasn't a demon and Damien found him in the crowds with ease. The two Witches were obvious to the Temple. The power was coming mainly from the slightly taller of the two but he felt more drawn to the power of the second. He didn't need to see passed their hooded cloaks to know who they were. Obviously Chris and Wyatt had decided they wanted to see this.

The only question was whether they were there with their family's permission or of the Elders. Normally if Witches were present here Damien would have pointed them out but he didn't fear another Demon discovering them since the Wastes of Caete Ruin confused the other Demons' senses. He didn't have to worry about being shown up as weak for not seeing them. Damien stared directly at the two of them and he saw Wyatt reach up to try to pull the cloak further over his face. They'd seen him watching them.

_"Chris, Wyatt. You shouldn't have come here."_ Damien reached out with his mind without moving his lips. Both of them heard his words as well as Veltin who was lurking in the shadows of the Temple. Veltin stepped up to his side even though he remained invisible. The two glanced at each other. _"If you want to watch then feel free but even you can't hope to attack me and then escape with this many demons around."_

Damien made a curt gesture with his hand and silence fell over the entire gathering. The gesture was also to Veltin who knew what Damien wanted. Veltin shimmered away and appeared at Chris' side. He'd already talked to Veltin about Chris. He'd give up everything for the Witch even if it meant his death. If Chris or Wyatt did something here to give themselves away then Veltin would ensure they got away even if Damien had to take the blame.

"You all know why we are here." Damien said rather bluntly, his voice just loud enough to travel to the far reaches yet soft enough that he wasn't shouting. "Who among you will speak?"

It was customary that the most powerful of them, the Clan leaders, would be the ones to vote. It was done in view of everyone and more often than not it only had two results, complete agreement or complete refusal. They would have been in contact with each other and it would only take a few to vote in his favour before they all did or they'd risk becoming his enemies without the rest to back them up. It was either that or none would vote and more often than not they'd simply kill the one in question. Damien found that very unlikely since they all feared what he would do to them. Also half the Demons that stepped forwards had already come forwards to swear their loyalty to him, possibly only so that if they didn't all vote for him he'd protect them from the others.

Only a few times had a single demon gone against them all to refuse and then lived. Damien's own father had done it once with a candidate before the last major Source of All Evil but the Order of Caete Ruin weren't a group that you attacked for revenge especially when they sided together on all matters to do with the outside Underworld.

"Vote now." Damien ordered. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible before Wyatt or Chris decided to do something foolish. Plus he'd told Chris that he didn't want this position and this felt like he was failing him.

For the first time there was barely a pause in the vote as the entire group of fifty demons raised their hands and summoned Fire Balls, Energy Balls or even a couple of Fire Matrixes. A few seconds later they snuffed them out. The vote had been cast and it had announced Damien as the new Source of All Evil.

Damien stepped forwards and slowly turned his head to accept their decision even if he didn't want it for himself. "Light the Furness." Damien announced. The air around him throbbed as the ritual words triggered an ancient spell that hadn't been used since the last Source of All Evil had been officially chosen like this. It took a lot of Damien's powers to do it but across America in the old Boston City a huge towering fire burst up through a park. The flames reached into the sky as a tall basalt monolith rose from the ground announcing to all that there was a new Demon that claimed the role of Source of All Evil.

It was Damien's way of announcing to the world what he was doing but more importantly it was a challenge to the Source of the Eastern Underworlds. It also announced to the mortals and Witches to stay out of his way or suffer his anger. Truthfully Damien wanted to get this all done and behind him so he could hide his powers and go live in a small hut in Antarctica.

_"I'm sorry, Chris. I can't avoid this anymore."_ Damien told just Chris this time as his eyes locked onto the hooded Witch. _"I wish I could but if I don't there won't be any world left to live in. I wish I could refuse and hide but you saw my past life. I can't just do that, I can't just leave you to be caught in the middle of it. I can't let you fight a war that isn't your own like they expected of me. I hope you can understand that."_

Damien's eyes snapped up to where he knew Veltin was hiding and a second later both Witches seemed to shimmer away as Veltin grabbed them and took them away from the Wastes and back to the mortal realm.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Not even a day after Damien's rather melodramatic display of his new position all activity from the Eastern Underworlds completely ceased. They stopped their small skirmishes into America but Damien didn't think for a moment that they were scared of him. The other Source was merely building his strength.

Damien, in turn, made the most controversial announcement in five millennia. No Demon was to attack another Demon nor attempt to start a fight with any of the forces of Good. There was general outcry at that last order but a few hours of threatening the league of Upper level Demons that stood for the whole made them take his threat serious. They couldn't afford to lose any of their numbers in what Damien had called pointless distractions.

Unfortunately some of the Witches decided to take advantage of the slacking off in Demonic aggression and attacked some of the smaller demonic cells. Damien forbid the demons from doing anything more than retreating but in all three of the first cases Damien appeared in the middle of the short battles and stopped them with a show of frightening power and made it look all the while as if the Witches only just got away with their lives.

Damien was preparing for the war and anybody with any sense in America knew it. The mortal military was heightening it's sweeps across the globe for any Demonic activity. The Elders were searching the world for Damien in an attempt to find and destroy him before he could trigger a war while every Good fighter that worked for the Elders was trying to kill him.

Damien was simply glad that Chris and his family seemed to be sitting on the sidelines. He had no doubt that they'd take matters into their own hands once the battle lines were drawn.

It was Friday the eighteenth of December when the Source of the East made his move and the mortal world of northern Arizona was overrun with a vast Demonic army. Almost three thousand Demons shimmered across the globe and Damien responded with equal force, making himself part of the second of the great events of the last century. First he had commanded the greatest force of Demons to ever go to war but now he was starting the greatest Demonic civil war since the forming of the Underworlds millennia ago.

There wasn't anyone in the world that didn't know what was happening, every mortal was alerted by the news, every military power was trying to find away to stop it but most importantly every Good Witch or being was trying to find a way to do something about it. Damien wanted to end this as fast as he could, he wanted to make his move, destroy the single greatest threat to the world he cared so little about except that Chris loved it and then he wanted to hide away where nobody would find him. Maybe in a small air pocket under the Pacific ocean.

Damien was standing at the front of his own ranks on the ridge that cupped the northern reaches of the small rural town that the other Source had chosen for the battle ground. Behind him ranged about two hundred Upper level demons, the most powerful while only one Demon stood at his side, as an equal. Veltin stood fully cloaked and proud at his side as if nothing was odd about what was about to happen. Below them was the town, already on fire as the Eastern Demons ravaged the town and the townsfolk. The remains of the buildings barely recognisable within the inferno.

"I don't want you here, Veltin." Damien told the other demon simply.

"Why?" Veltin asked, turning away from the massacre to look at Damien.

"Because you are the only one here that I care about." Damien told him. "I want you somewhere safe."

"I have no life, Damien." Veltin told him softly. "You're the only friend I have and I won't desert you now."

"Maybe you can do something else for me then." Damien suggested. "Stay out of the fight and if the Halliwells show up then make sure Chris and his family get out alive."

"What about you?" Veltin asked.

"This will be quick." Damien shrugged. "Veltin, please do me one favour."

"What is it?" He asked with a sigh.

"If I die I want you to continue to protect Chris from the demons." Damien told him bluntly. "I'm only doing this for him."

"I know." Veltin nodded slowly. "I swear. For everything you have given to me I will make sure that Chris has the chance to live the life he desires."

"Then go and this can start." Damien announced before raising his hands above his head. Veltin shimmered away from him and to somewhere he could peacefully watch the fight but Damien simply summoned up his powers and formed a Fire Matrix bomb above his head that lit up the darkening sky. It began to spin, faster and faster, until Damien launched it down the hill at the centre of the village where he could see almost a hundred demons packed together.

The Fire Matrix struck the centre of the square and after a split second exploded outwards. Buildings were sent crumbling away from the explosion and the blast shook the air as hundreds of demons were caught in the explosion. His own demons cheered at the sight of the town after the smoke cleared. It looked as if a volcano had erupted in the centre. No building was left standing and even the fires were having trouble sustaining themselves.

The demons across the town shifted and Damien felt a surge of power that struck out in all directions. A signal. Damien's own signal sent his own demons moving and in a massive ripple the two armies met at the base of the hill and the sky glowed as fire rippled through their ranks. Damien made his way slowly through the battle to the centre and had barely reached where the armies joined when a red cloaked demon appeared from the other army's midst. His face was hidden behind an illusion of flames that even Damien couldn't see through and another illusion of heat rippled around him in waves.

"A bit melodramatic." Damien commented before shimmering five times in quick succession as Fire Balls, Energy Balls and even a Fire Matrix hurtled at him from around the other Source.

His own show of power as he shimmered so fast was as impressive as the maintained illusion from his opponent and it gave the enemy demons a moment's pause before they leapt forwards to meet Damien.

Damien swept his hands forwards and a huge wall of air leapt into his attackers. He added an illusion of flames to the attack but the faked flames did nothing but send the other attackers sprawling in shock. Damien's actual attackers were sent flying back over the other Source's head.

"Are we done fighting meaningless battles?" Damien asked with dry humour.

"Harry Potter." The other Source laughed at him even as Damien tensed. "All you do is fight meaningless battles. What does this one mean to you?"

"I was never Harry Potter." Damien told the other Source. "His Soul holds none of my taints."

"The Wizards were fools to reject you." He told him. "Voldemort was right to fear you but even at the end he didn't understand what he could have had!"

"What do you want?"

"Ever since Voldemort came to me asking for help I saw you for what you could be." The other Demon told him. "Join me and you can fulfil that destiny."

A ripple went through the ranks as the other Demon shouted his last words and in shock more than anything else both sides stopped their fight and backed away from each other. "Who are you?" Damien asked as if he was thinking about the offer.

"I am Nedra, the Source of _All_ Evil." The Demon told him. "I taught Voldemort what power really was. I taught him to strive for his potential when he came to me as a mere boy! We could rule together, you and I. These petty demons are nothing compared to us. The Elders and their pawns would beg us on their knees for mercy."

Damien felt something bubble up in his chest at the speech and for a moment it felt like desperation. Damien wrenched it away but it fought back and with a shudder Damien realised it was the foremost emotion of another mind trying to reach into his. He threw his power at it even as he raised his arms at his sides making the other Source sneer at him even through the flames shielding his face.

_"No!"_ It was Chris' voice, both of the ones he loved as well as a shocked cry from a woman, Phoebe Halliwell. She'd used her powers to push Chris' mind towards Damien.

_"Veltin! Find them!"_ Damien send the surge of thought out in all directions before lashing back alone the link that Phoebe had formed. She tried to retreat but Damien yanked at the link and surged forwards into her mind before using it to turn and face Chris. Completely possessing her body and powers.

"Chris!" His voice echoed along with her own as he glared at Chris, standing with Piper, Paige and his older brother and maybe thirty Witches and a small group of Good creatures. "You self obsessed idiot!"

"Damien?" Chris gasped reeling away.

"I told you not to do this." Damien snapped just as Veltin appeared beside Chris and grabbed him tightly with a knife across his throat. Veltin's eyes were on Damien's, or Phoebe's, but they held no malice. He was making sure that Chris survived even if he had to kidnap him. The rest of the family or the other Witches couldn't risk killing Veltin without hurting or killing Chris.

"You can't take his offer." Chris pleaded, completely uncaring as to his captor since Damien hadn't threatened him.

"And what if I did?" Damien sneered through Phoebe. "Wouldn't that prove what your family think of me? They'll never accept that I love you, they'll never accept that this was all for you, to keep them safe."

"Yes they will." Chris tried to assure him but his voice then shifted to the other Chris. "They'll have to or they're not my family."

Damien sneered at them all and pulled himself up. "I'm just a powerful demon to you all but I've never really done something powerful enough to really make you fear me. Watch what I am about to do. I will do something that will echo throughout the world and everybody will be forced to admit that nothing can stop me. If I want to take over the world nothing can stop me."

Damien slipped back to his body even as Chris yanked at Veltin to get away. His own arms dropped to his side but he knew he was still talking through Phoebe as well as to Nedra. "Destiny is of nothing to me. It causes pain and only destruction follows in its wake. I have no need to serve you Nedra and demons such as us _never_ share power freely. The most powerful will walk away from here Nedra and no matter what deals you made you will never be such a Demon as I."

"You fool!" Nedra snapped. "I know of this Chris Halliwell. I know of the two of you. I have felt you talk to him, I feel it now. Your Demons worship a Source in love with a mortal _witch_." He spat the last word but Damien was barely listening. Cries of anger rose from his own troops but Damien didn't care.

"You just made a serious mistake, Nedra." Damien hissed and power floated around him in waves.

"I believe not, Caete Ruin." Nedra chuckled. "All I need to is kill him and you will become nothing more than a prick in my boot."

"You will not take another breath." Damien hissed and lashed out. Not at Nedra but at every other demon around him. He lanced out into their minds pulling their magic out of them and into the air around him. He took from both sides since he cared little for either and Demons burst into flames all around him as they all retreated. Around him flowed a massive spiral of magic and fire yet he and Nedra stood unaffected in the middle of it all.

Nedra tried to attack him but already Damien was more than he could handle and his attacks were absorbed into the spiral of power around him. Any attempt by the Demons to shimmer away was drained away from them and they cowered or tried to run on foot. Damien's body screamed in protest as it absorbed more and more power but still more hung around him.

Damien's hood fell off his face and his burning green eyes narrowed at Nedra who flinched away only to have Damien lash out with all of his might. The magic smashed through Nedra and obliterated him before it smashed out in all directions slicing through and killing any Demons it met. A thousand Demons fell to the onslaught before the magic subsided.

Damien shuddered and fell to his hands and knees in the centre of the battlefield even as Phoebe's lips, over a mile away, spoke his words. "Now can you call me a monster? The Demon that saves everything you want to hold dear."

Damien recalled his mind from hers and with a shudder her body gave in to the exhaustion being connected to Damien had wrought on her. She collapsed to the ground in a dead faint. Damien slowly pushed himself up to his feet and looked around at the stricken battlefield. His last attack had smoothed out almost half a mile in all directions and only he stood within it. The other Demons had finally found themselves free and shimmered away in fear of his wrath so now Damien shared this scene with only the Witches and Good creatures yet the thought of attacking him didn't even settle into their minds.

Damien looked up from his own solitude into the night sky and even as he watched the mortals made their move. They had probably ordered it as soon as the massacre had begun but it took time to launch a missile, let alone a few hundred. Aimed primarily at all the demons they now only had one target. Damien.

Damien laughed and reached out for Chris with his telepathy, using it for a completely different reason then for his attack beforehand. _"Don't you think it would be better if it ended here, Chris?"_

_"Don't."_ Chris told him. It was clearly both of them in that phrase.

_"Wouldn't your family prefer it this way?"_ Damien asked as he followed the missiles up into the sky with his eyes. _"I always did love mortal technology when I was younger. I wonder if the Elders have realised this yet?"_

_"What are you talking about?"_ Chris asked.

_"Technology, Chris."_ Damien laughed up into the sky. _"Magic is losing in the world. It's a time of technology now. You must know this if you're studying it. You're family would agree with me wouldn't they? They wouldn't mind it if magic vanished from the world permanently."_

_"But magic can do good too, Damien." _Chris told him.

_"Abuse might have destroyed my childhood, Chris."_ Damien told him. _"But magic has ripped up my heart."_

_"It doesn't have to end there though, Damien."_ Chris told him._ "I can help put it back together again."_

_"Those missiles could end it too though."_ Damien pointed out. _"Maybe Ron and Hermione were right in the first place. The world would be a better place without me."_

_"But I don't want to be in this world without you!"_ Chris almost yelled into his mind. The missiles were arching high over them now, starting to change course to aim directly at Damien, yet Damien simply stared at them even as almost forty Witches and a few dozen creatures watched him stand there.

Damien turned slowly at Chris' words though and stared up the ridge line at him but he didn't move. _"I love you, Chris. You know that's true, right? You believe me when I tell you that?"_

_"I meant it when I said you weren't a demon to me."_ Chris told him yet even though only one of them had actually told him that, both of them were saying it. _"I love you and I'll leave everything if only to be with you."_

The missiles screamed through the night lightning up the valley. The Witches took cover against the ground and Chris was pulled to the floor by Veltin as they slammed into where Damien was standing. The wave of heated air was almost as large as the explosion from Damien's magic and it buffeted them for a few long seconds. It was almost half a minute before Chris could stand along with Veltin but he sank to his knees again as he saw the burnt out ruins of where Damien had been.

Veltin tensed all of a sudden and let out a choked sigh before shimmering away without a word. Chris spun on the spot as Wyatt grabbed him.

_"I'll hold you to that, Chris."_ Damien's words rippled through Chris' body. _"But maybe this doesn't have to be the end for me."_

"He's alive." Chris sagged into his older brother weakly and brought his hand up to his head to explain what he meant even as Wyatt's arms circled him to hold him up. "Damien's alive. I don't know what this means but I think our fighting lives are nearly done."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

End Chapter


	7. The Gift of Choice

Torn between Sides

A/N; This is becoming a theme for this round of updates. Completing stories. This might seem like a rather abrupt and open-ended finish to this story but it's what I always had in mind for this. Their lives don't end with this story but continue on with new challenges. I doubt they'll be a sequel and I'll leave picturing the future for your individual minds. Thank you to everyone that has read and reviewed this story and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it over the last fifteen months.

Without further rambling, please enjoy the conclusion of Torn between Sides.

Chapter 7; The Gift of Choice

**Damien's Lair – Underworld – Soon after**

Damien stood in the eerie silence of his lair with the red mist creeping around his ankles and the red glow over his head from his telepathy boosting spell. His hood was down and it had been since the fight and he had little hope that the demons that had survived the battle and then Damien's outburst when he'd destroyed Nedra hadn't all see his face, Damien's face, and linked the two forever. It wouldn't be all that long before most of the demons in the Underworld knew who the Demon of Caete Ruin really was.

He'd shimmered away just before the first of the missiles had struck and then sent Veltin a telepathic pulse letting him know he was still alive. Surely his demonic friend would tell Chris the news but Damien didn't intend to go searching for him any time soon. Not until he knew what he was and what his place was in the world.

"You do realise don't you that you're the new Source of All Evil?" Veltin asked as he silently shimmered into the lair and leaned against the plinth. Damien didn't even look at him. "Nobody would contest it now."

"Follow me." Damien ordered before shimmering away, leaving a small trail that only Veltin's magic could sense. He reappeared a few minutes later on the lush green grass of the garden to Godric's Hollow. The place where Harry Potter died as an infant. "I want to do something that no demon has ever done before and I think I'll need your power as well to do it."

"What?" Veltin asked warily.

"I want to summon the Potters' ghosts from the afterlife." Damien told him. Veltin had long ago discovered the truth to Damien's own history, partly through working it out from clues Damien had slipped him from time to time and partly from Damien actually telling him straight out.

"Are you sure that's even possible?" Veltin asked as he looked at the grave of Harry Potter at their feet.

"We'll soon find out. James and Lily Potter are tied to their biological son's body and if we try they might hear us." Damien explained.

"Then why do you need me?" Veltin asked.

"I'm a Demon, Veltin." Damien said simply. "I have no link to the afterlife, you though, as a half mortal do."

"Oh." Veltin nodded. "I see."

Damien laughed before shutting his eyes and reaching out his magic. He couldn't just chant the spells like Wicca witches did to do this. He'd have to do it by instinct and provide the power and simply hope that James and Lily Potter would accept the call and use his power to come to him.

What happened wasn't what he expected, in fact it shocked Damien to the core. It wasn't James and Lily that came, in fact his power wasn't even used and what appeared didn't come from the afterlife. Orbs appeared and out of them, standing directly on Harry Potter's grave appeared a man.

He looked so much like Damien had used to yet older and more serene, somebody who knew that what they were doing was right. There was none of the pain in his green eyes that Damien had always carried around. Damien stumbled backwards in shock. "Hello, Damien." The man smiled at him gently, and with love.

"You're..." Damien gasped feeling fear.

"You don't have to fear me, Damien." He said as his eyes flickered to Veltin.

"That's a Whitelighter, Damien. I think we should get out of here before he calls the Elders." Veltin suggested.

"I won't call them." He assured Damien and Veltin.

"Then they'll sense you here and come. Either way it doesn't matter." Veltin told him. "Why did you stop our summons. What interest do you have in stopping this?"

"They are my parents that you are trying to summon from their afterlife." The man smirked lightly at Veltin.

"Harry." Damien finally managed to get out making Veltin look at him in surprise at the quiet voice. "You were only a baby."

"I was meant to be a Whitelighter from birth, Damien." A twenty-two year old looking Harry Potter told him simply. "I couldn't do that as a baby but my soul grew up in the afterlife with mum and dad when they arrived. When I was old enough I became a Whitelighter."

"But why?" Damien asked. "Why take you out of the afterlife?"

"Because of you, Damien." Harry smiled at him. "The Elders never knew much about you but you are important to the Angels of Destiny and it was them that sent me here to answer your summons. They can't control Demons like they can mortals, witches and wizards. Demons are an unknown variable but you were the only variable capable of changing the course of the world from this point onwards. The acceptance of magic and the integration of the mortal world and the Underworld."

Veltin looked shocked but Damien didn't let him speak as he waited for Harry to continue. "The Angels hoped that you would aid their cause unknowingly by discovering your heart and your destiny to fall in love with Chris Halliwell just as mum told you in that letter. In case you couldn't find your heart I became a Whitelighter, to keep you grounded and help you see that being neutral was an option, even for you." Harry told him with a sad smile. "We are brothers you and I no matter where we come from. I have always watched out for you, protected you from Voldemort when I could and been there with you in the darkest moments of your childhood."

"Whispering in my ear in my cupboard." Damien whispered to himself though Harry heard him and his smile widened.

"And it was my powers that always protected you from Voldemort's touch, it was my powers that killed Quirrell when he touched you." Harry told him.

"Whitelighters aren't allowed to kill." Veltin argued.

"I am." Harry said simply. "Damien and I share souls. We are Soulmates you could say. His father sensed that and sought me out, hoping that if we grew up together I could balance out Damien's demonic nature. He arrived after my death but left me with the Potters anyway unknowing that his plan would work. I grew up knowing Damien and in a way he knew me, like twins can always sense the other's presence. I knew what that feeling was but Damien didn't."

"He's telling the truth, Veltin." Damien assured him, not even a Whitelighter could lie to him and Harry's mind, his Soul Twin's mind was laid open to him like a book. Every emotion and thought that pertained to his purpose here was open to Damien, all the love and concern for him. "Why did you come here today?"

"To tell you that you are not alone." Harry told him. "And that the future isn't so bleak as you think. The Angels have plans for the world and if you wish it you can become a part of that world."

"And if I do this what is to stop my instincts taking over again and me turning Evil again?" Damien asked, voicing his fear and Harry heard the unspoken concern there that he'd do something that would horrify even him.

"Now that you are aware of our bond do you think you could ever escape it?" Harry asked him gently and with love. "Even with all your power you couldn't close this bond and no matter what you do I'll be there to help you or to pull you back. That I swear to you."

Damien felt the bond growing within him, it wasn't actually getting larger but it was moving from the distinct edges of his mind to right in the centre of it. Damien bowed his head and shut his eyes wondering what all of this meant but he looked up quickly when Harry moved in front of him and took his hands in his own. Dark green eyes met emerald green eyes and Damien smiled a true smile for the first time when he wasn't alone with Chris.

"Damien, if I'm gone for much longer then the Elders may detect my presence and then yours and wonder what I am doing." Harry told him. "But remember something for me. My destiny to help your soul, our soul, is more important than my destiny as a Whitelighter. That is only a means to keep me close to you. If you ever have need of me you need only call me."

"What of being the Source of All Evil?" Damien asked as it looked like Harry was about to orb away.

"Why not think of it as a gift?" Harry asked with a twitch of a smile. "I haven't been told otherwise so I'd say it isn't the position that matters but how you use it."

Damien nodded just as Harry burst into orbs and trailed off into the bright morning sky. Damien turned to Veltin who was staring at where the orbs had been. "That was interesting." Veltin told him.

"I think this should stay between us." Damien pointed out.

"You think anybody would believe me if I told them?" Veltin laughed. "The Source of All Evil is soul bonded from birth to a Wizard-turned-Whitelighter!" Damien eyed him for a moment before shimmering back to his lair. He needed to start planning.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Halliwell manor – A week later**

Chris leaned against the mantelpiece in a distinctly 'other' Chris kind of way and it was obvious by his unfocused eyes that he was paying as much attention to his internal voices as he was the external ones. Chris was becoming more and more comfortable with the idea of having another sentience in his mind and it was no longer a shock when he found out he wasn't the one reaching for a glass of water or defending himself from a demon.

In the last week they'd gone into the Underworld twice for intelligence. Or rather, Chris and Wyatt had gone into one of the Underworld bars, and been shocked by how quiet it was. It almost seemed like the Underworld was deserted. The only gossip around they could pick up on was that nobody had heard or seen from the Demon of Caete Ruin but they all knew he was still alive.

"Tell us again, Chris." Paige spoke up from the couch. "Who did you hear it from that Harry was still alive? I know you said Veltin seemed relieved but maybe he was being hopeful."

"A demon being hopeful!" Wyatt rolled his eyes.

"All I ever get from Veltin is an inner peace." Phoebe told them all. "He seems to accept what he is but I never get hate or anger from him like I do Damien or any other Demon."

"That's because he doesn't have to kill. Damien protects him from the other Demons and in return Veltin won't betray Damien." Chris said in a matter of fact way that told everyone it was the 'other' Chris speaking. His voice shifted back to the more familiar one. "And anyway we heard it from several Demons including one of the clan chiefs. An Upper Level who almost detected we weren't Demons."

"How do _we_ know it's the truth?" Piper asked. "Unless somebody's actually seen him there's doubt he's still alive."

"You almost sound concerned, mom." Chris raised an eyebrow.

"As much as I hate to say it, it's better for our health with him controlling the Demons. He keeps them in check." Piper said.

"I agree though I'd rather see no Demons." Leo nodded. "Damien might be evil but any other Demon would have already attacked with the Demons under his command. Everything he's done so far as been for self-preservation."

"Aren't you forgetting that school?" Phoebe pointed out. "And the Wizards?"

"I never did show you what they did to him." Chris muttered. "Damien showed me once."

"Showed you what?" Phoebe asked.

"His childhood." Chris told them. "When he was a Wizard they forced him to be their warrior, to fight for them even at eleven. They turned on him at the smallest suspicion and when it came to light that he wasn't their Chosen One they turned against him. Even he didn't know he was Damien until he found a letter from Lily Potter. You know what they did to him after they found out he wasn't their saviour?"

They all shook their heads and Chris almost growled as he remember what Harry had shown him. When he spoke he drew from information given to both of his personalities. "They cast him out, started treating him like he'd tricked them all even since he was a baby, as if he'd schemed it all. They ignored the fact he'd never wanted the fame and they broke him. Even his friends who had sworn they would always stand by him turned on him."

"Chris, you can hardly expect us to feel sorry for him." Piper told him.

"You remember when we were in Diagon Alley?" Chris asked.

"It was destroyed before you were born." Piper answered automatically.

"I think this is the old Chris, Piper." Paige sighed but nodded for all of them even though Wyatt and Melinda hadn't been around then.

"Those four Wizards he held down in the middle of the fight?" Chris prompted and got nods again from his mother and Aunts. "The red head and the girl were his best friends. They'd been friends since they were eleven. The other boy was Neville Longbottom, as far as I know he was the only one that Damien ever let get away from him. He was the only other one that the Wizards believed could defeat Voldemort even though he was hopeless at spellcraft. They always treated Neville like he was useless until they turned on Damien. Suddenly they couldn't push Neville into the war fast enough. They'd lost Harry Potter so instead they turned Neville Longbottom into their saviour and ignored the fact he didn't want it."

"What happened?" Paige asked.

"No idea." Chris shrugged. "In my timeline Neville was part of the same conclave of Wizards as Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger but they were all still alive when I came back here."

"So they are strong?" Paige asked.

"Neville got away from Damien once because Damien couldn't kill what he saw as himself so many years ago." Chris frowned. "Weasley and Granger got away purely on luck. They were in a fight between Damien and Wyatt trying to garner credit with the Evil Wyatt for their own ends. I was there and it was there that Wyatt addressed me for the first time in front of Damien."

"Uh..." Wyatt put on with a wounded look.

"After mom was killed I tried to get close to Damien to find a weakness to get revenge but I fell for him and though I didn't know why he'd killed mom I couldn't find it in me to kill him." Chris sighed with a sad look at Piper. "In the battle Wyatt called me his 'Little Brother' and it didn't take much for Damien to put it together. He completely lost it, wiped out the entire fight. I just about managed to orb out, Wyatt was seriously injured and evidently Weasley and Granger were able to escape from the back of the Wizards in the fight. Nobody else survived."

"Oh my god." Melinda stared at her second brother in horror.

"It was hard times, Mel." Chris told her softly before shooting Wyatt a look that was clearly both Chris'.

"So, what do we do now?" Wyatt asked.

"You do nothing." A new voice spoke up making the entire room spin towards the hallway in surprise. Piper's hands flew up but the person burst into orbs evading the explosion which hit the wall behind them. "A little trigger happy there Piper Halliwell."

"You're a Whitelighter?" Piper stood up.

"That obvious was it?" The man brushed his fringe out of his eyes. His raven black hair was messy and it made his green eyes stand out in contrast. He was wearing black jeans and a dark green button up shirt.

"Do you have a message from the Elders?" Leo asked.

"Leo Wyatt. Ex-Elder." He smiled at the man. "I never did run into you in your stint 'up there'. And no, I don't have a message from them. In fact they don't even know I'm here."

"Why not?" Paige asked.

"Let's just say it would draw too much attention to me." He laughed slightly.

"What are you?" Melinda asked. "A rogue?"

This time the man laughed properly. "I suppose you could say I'm working for the Angels of Destiny and with a Demon."

"With a Demon!" Piper gasped lifting her hands again.

"You can't kill me even if you wanted to Piper Halliwell." The man smirked. "And you seem to have bypassed the first part of my statement."

"How can you work for both?" Leo asked.

"What if the Demon is working for the Angels?" He pointed out. "Not directly of course. Let's just say I have a close bond with the demon in question."

"And which demon is that?" Chris asked with a frown.

"Ah, Chris and Chris. It has been a long time." The man smiled. "We never really met before you came back in time."

"Wait!" Piper frowned. "You're from the other timeline? I thought that disappeared."

"I am an oddity, I suppose." The man shrugged. "When the other timeline was destroyed I was combined with the me from this world so that I could better understand the possible outcome of this battle."

"What battle?" Wyatt asked.

"The one that started with your turning Evil and finishes with the creation of peace between this world and the Underworld." The man told them. "That is why I became a Whitelighter after I died."

"I thought you were familiar." Chris took a step forward. "But how?"

"It was decided that keeping him in check was more important than breaking the Elders rules." The man said. "I am here to guide him and always have been, I grew up helping him here and there. I am his twin."

"Who's twin?" Piper demanded.

"Damien Caete Ruin's twin." The man turned his emerald eyes on here and she gasped and stood back.

"How does the twin of a demon become a Whitelighter?" Wyatt asked.

"There are many meanings to the word twin, Wyatt Halliwell." The man told him. "In my case it is not bone, flesh and blood that twins me with Damien Caete Ruin but our souls. Ever since we were born."

"Who are you then?" Phoebe asked.

"I am Harry Potter." The man smirked at their surprise.

"But wasn't Damien Harry Potter once?" Paige asked.

"For a time he took that name and looked like me." Harry nodded slowly. "Darius Caete Ruin tracked Damien's soul twin and found me but only after I had just died as a baby. He left Damien with my parents to raise and so Damien became Harry Potter. I was raised in the afterlife and helped Harry when I could even if it was just words of love in his ear."

"So why are you here now?" Piper asked.

"I've already told you that." Harry Potter smiled at them before bursting into orbs and flowing up out of the ceiling.

They all looked at each other before Wyatt spoke up the answer to his original question. "We do nothing?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**A month later - Underworld**

Damien stood on a small raised area in the massive chamber that seemed to stretch out into the darkness around him. For the first time since the attack he was addressing the Upper Level Demons and for the first time ever he was doing it without his hood up. Many of those here had just taken up the role of clan chiefs after their Masters had been caught up in the battle, either killed by the enemy or by Damien himself.

The only other person at Damien's own height was Veltin but he wore his hood to cover his identity and Damien was careful to cover his magic carefully so that the Upper Level Demons in the room didn't know that a 'mere half-breed' stood at Damien's side.

"You may have been curious about why I've called you here." Damien spoke up, his voice echoing to the far reaches of the cavern and the less powerful Demons that had managed to sneak in without irritating a more powerful Demon enough to kill them. "It's also become evident to me that even though you all knew I was still alive some decided to try to usurp my control over this Underworld. You can try all you like but until you have the power to face me head to head you might as well not bother."

Veltin snorted in amusement. In the last few days Damien had helped Veltin gain a few more powers and he probably stood as the fourth most powerful Demon in the room and the two others stood only just more powerful than him. The point was that Veltin didn't stand a chance against Damien in a full out fight. Too many of the powerful Demons had been targeted by firstly the Charmed Ones, then the Chris from the past to protect baby Wyatt. Then it was the Avatars' massacre and the almost civil wars between Demons in the time after that. Finally had been the targeting of powers by the Mortals for Nedra or just on their own back. There was a rather hefty gap between Damien and the other Demons now and only a few came close. One in the European Underworld and one in the Chinese part of the Asian Underworld. Both Harry had visited in the last month to force under his thumb with the promise of their continued local authority in turn for their survival.

"So, have you brought us here to chastise us, Source?" Damien turned to eye the most powerful Demon there apart from himself. Saimarnen was very smart and had come to Damien's attention a long time ago when he noticed he was playing the civil war to his own benefit. Saimarnen was his choice for governing this Underworld, if there was anybody there with the ambition to rule but the common sense not to try to take Damien's position then it was him. That and Veltin refused to take any position in Damien's hierarchy.

"These orders are being given to all Underworlds." Damien said simply. "And I leave it up to you to enforce this rule throughout your own clans and overall responsibility to a clan of my choice who's leader will take the position of Governor of the Western-American Underworld."

"And this order?" One of the others asked.

"I am ordering all actions against mortals and Witches to stop immediately." Damien said and waited out the uproar without moving a muscle.

"Why!?" A few Demons yelled.

"I have plans that will change the way this world works." Damien said simply. "Plans far more complex than you can comprehend. Make your choice now whether you will abide by my laws, if you decide not to than expect to be dead the next time we meet. I leave it to you to spread this law to all reaches. Get going."

The occupants looked around the room nervously but Damien's magical Aura spread around him in almost visible waves and they knew they'd have to abide by his laws. In groups they began to transport away and just as Damien sensed Saimarnen gathering his powers to shimmer out he reached out and wrenched the Upper Level Demon back into the chamber. Only the three of them were left as Saimarnen fell to his knees in surprise.

"Just wait a moment, Saimarnen." Damien told him before releasing his magic. "I trust I won't have to prove my strength again. A demon of your skill doesn't need much to assess another Demon's power and skill does he?"

Saimarnen stood and shook his head looking properly cowed for the first time, only acceptable to Saimarnen because there were no witnesses. "You might have already guessed that I'm placing you as Governor to the Western-American Underworld. If you do well and the Demons I'm placing in charge of the Eastern and Southern Underworlds annoy me your area of authority may get larger. Piss me off and you'll want to run to the Elders and ask them to kill you as unpleasantly as they can because it will be like bliss compared to what I do to you."

Saimarnen was torn between worry and satisfaction at this news and Damien didn't try to cover his mind as he slammed into the Demon's mind and thoughts and searched around in that instant of emotion for what he wanted. If Saimarnen had had a single thought moving towards betraying Damien he'd be dead before Damien retreated. As it was there was only small thoughts of how this could benefit Saimarnen. "Very good, Saimarnen. Do this well and your own goals may well be satisfied but remember this; your chances of survival if you betray me are nil."

"I understand." Saimarnen spoke up for the first time since Damien had held him back. "What are my orders?"

"Veltin will be spreading word that you are my Governor." Damien told him. "Your only task if selecting those you trust more than the others to act as your Council. What you do within the Underworld is your choice. I only set three rules that you must follow and enforce. Use your position to strengthen the Underworld and not just yourself. Never try to harm myself or Veltin and lastly, do not allow any Demon to attack those on the surface, be they mortal, Wicca or even Whitelighter."

Saimarnen's mind changed slightly there and confusion was easy to pick out of his head. Veltin stepped forwards and walked past Saimarnen's shoulder. "Don't question him on it, Saimarnen or your time as Governor may be the shortest in the Underworld's history. He has his plan."

With that Veltin shimmered out of the chamber to begin announcing to the Underworld what was happening. Saimarnen promised to carry out his orders and shimmered back to his clan to tell them the news of his promotion and Damien turned to the second stage of his plan. Getting his allies and that had to start where his appearance would cause the most concern.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Magic School – Two days later**

Paige sighed as she leaned back in her chair, she'd only agreed to watch Magic School for a few weeks while the Elder in charge was 'up there' doing lofty things but it had turned out to be interesting. Chris and Wyatt had learned from forays into the Underworld that Damien had taken complete control of all of the Underworlds and had set Governors to rule each area. It concerned both Chris' that Damien had chosen Saimarnen to rule this one since they all knew that it was that Demon that had ordered the capture of Melinda's powers.

Her eldest nephews were lounging around in front of her right at that moment and they were confused about something or other. "I'm telling you there's something fishy about it all." Wyatt told her. "We were spotted by a group of Demons with _three_ Upper Level Demons with them but the Upper level ones just reigned in the others when they went for us and just shimmered away. They could have seriously hurt us!"

"That'll teach you to not be careful." Paige told them though the news troubled her. They'd seen this sort of decrease in Demonic activity a few times and it was normally just before something big hit them. "Maybe we should get everyone together and see what they think. Chris, go get your mother and sister, Wyatt, go and get your Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Coup. I'll get Henry."

"Yes, Aunty Paige." They smirked at her as they vanished into orbs. It didn't take long before they returned with their extended family in tow minus those too young to really be of any help. Chris quickly outlined what had happened and after being told off by their mother they threw around some ideas

"What about the Elders?" Piper asked her husband, "Do you think they could know anything?"

"We could try them." Leo shrugged. He frowned before looking up at the ceiling. "Azriel!"

There was a pronounced pause before a series of gold orbs flooded into the room as the Headmaster of Magic School appeared in the middle of their group. Moments later another set of orbs appeared and a normal Whitelighter appeared beside Chris. Harry Potter.

"You were not asked to come." Azriel told Harry simply.

Harry smiled at him. "Forgive me, Azriel, but I had knowledge of this that they may find useful."

"So do you guys know why the Demons didn't attack us?" Wyatt asked the Elder as Harry sat on the top of Paige's table.

"Because the new Source of All Evil has ordered that all Demons under his command stand down from action against Good." The Elder told him.

"He actually quite neatly took apart a small rebel group of Demons in Australia that ignored the order and attacked a Witch." Harry put in with a grin.

_"He_ is the Source of All Evil, Whitelighter." Azriel told him with a frown.

"Source of All Demons maybe but I wouldn't say he's Evil." Harry shrugged nonchalantly.

"I think we've heard enough of your ranting about that." Azriel reprimanded the cheeky Whitelighter. "Your attitude impresses nobody."

Harry shrugged. "What's a boy who grew up already dead to do?"

Melinda, Wyatt and Chris all choked in their laughter and looked at their mother apologetically when she glared at them. "I think it's time for you to return to your work, Evans."

"Evans?" Chris frowned in confusion. Harry shot him a look that silenced him.

"I am working." Harry told the Elder. "Besides, I don't want to miss this."

"Miss what?" Paige asked him.

"Can't you sense it already?" Harry asked. "Shame on you, he's been battering through the School's wards for hours now. I would have thought that people as powerful as you all would have realised that by now. And you, an Elder!"

"Evans!" Azriel almost shouted at him. "That's enough. The School Wards..."

He was stopped as the ground shook and the bright magical sunlight coming through the windows darkened. Harry smirked at the Elder. "Told you so." He said simply.

"Who is it?" Chris asked.

"Who do you think could get through the wards?" Harry asked him loud enough for them all. "He's been probing them and working on them for a day or so now. I was wondering if anybody would notice but then again I _have_ been helping him out."

"What!?" Azriel went pale but couldn't continue to brand Harry a traitor when a column of shadows erupted through the floor in front of the doorway. The force of the entry smashed through the doors, sending the wooden panels flying into the corridor while the tables and chairs flew away from the shadows. When they fell back onto the floor as Damien Caete Ruin stood there rather regally.

He was clearly a little tired from the challenge but he dusted imaginary dirt from his black cloak before looking up. A faked look of surprise spread across his face. "Thanks for the help, little brother." Damien said with a smirk.

His words didn't seem to matter in content but only that he'd spoken. The Elder lashed out at him and lightning struck him in the shoulder before Damien put up his hand and the lightning cracked apart and struck the book cases and walls around him. The others took cover but Harry just sighed and sat back on the table, smirking at Chris until the other man stood up again, ready in case something came his way.

The Elder stopped his attack when it was obvious that it would take too long to get through Damien's defences and he burst into orbs, presumably going for reinforcements. Piper stood up with Wyatt on one side and Paige and Phoebe on the other. "Give us a good reason not to blow you apart."

"Because you don't have the magic necessary?" Damien asked cheekily. "And also because right now I am the cause of the greatest armistice in the history of Good and Evil?"

"He has you there." Harry put in from the table top. "Kill him and the Demons have free reign to attack you again."

"You be quiet." Piper told him.

"Oh and Damien." Harry continued regardless. "You are not my big brother. I was born two minutes before you."

"But you're also technically only nine months old." Damien retorted in amusement. "So, how long till the Elder comes back with more targets for me?"

"Don't really know." Harry shrugged before looking at Leo. "Any idea?"

Leo frowned at him. "Any moment now."

"Great." Damien nodded. "So basically if you stop them from killing me I'll tell you of a plan to remove the Demons as a serious threat."

They all looked at him as if he'd gone mad but didn't really have a chance to understand what he meant when the room filled with golden light and no less than eight Elders appeared, filling the room with lightning.

Damien got seriously singed before he could deflect a few strikes but a few still hit him square in the chest throwing him backwards into a pillar and holding him there. His magic struck out forming a bubble of dense waves that deflected small amounts of the lightning around the room but still some hit him and held him up as all the Elders tried to kill him.

"They'll kill him." Harry Potter pointed out loudly yet calmly directing his voice at Piper more than anybody else before he moved to her side. "What do you think will happen to Chris' heart if Damien dies? Shouldn't you protect the man your son loves? I assure you, Piper, that he is a man, he rejoices and fears just like you or I do. I know him better than he knows himself, I grew up with him on other sides of the wall between life and death. He is not your enemy."

As if to finish off his oratory, heard by all of the family, Damien screamed in pain and his defences fell. Harry closed his eyes and threw all his magic into his Soul, into their Soul, protecting Damien from being killed by the Elders and giving him the needed type of magic to get out of the School and to safety in case this didn't go to plan.

His worry was for nothing though as Piper cracked. Just before Chris was about to attack the Elders she screamed. "Stop!" Her voice rose above the sound of lightning and Damien's pained gasp and the eight Elders stopped their attack though they didn't turn away from Damien as he fell to the ground and pushed himself up against the pillar.

"Piper?" Azriel frowned at her.

"You can't kill him." Piper told them.

"Why not?" Azriel asked.

"Because you'll lose the only chance you have to finally stop this war between 'Good' and 'Evil.'" Damien rose up to his full height again and folded his cloaked arms across his body. He was smoking and Chris winced at the sight of burnt flesh through the tears in his clothing and the fact that the scars on his face were visible. His normal illusion had fallen in the attack.

"And what does that mean?" Wyatt asked even as Harry crossed the room, passing the Elders even though they told him to stop. Harry stopped an inch from Damien before turning to stand at his side. He placed a hand on Damien's shoulder and his hand glowed silver as he brought forth his healing powers. The group all gasped as they watched the magic heal the Demon even though it wasn't supposed to.

"How?" Leo gasped out.

"I didn't heal his body." Harry told him. "I healed his Soul. Proof better than anything else that he indeed has both a Soul and a Heart."

"That matters not." Another Elder told them. "A Demon is a Demon and he always will be."

"Ah!" Damien chuckled. "That brings me to the purpose of this little visit. I didn't batter through these wards to meet you on your ground for nothing and I definitely didn't stand by and let you try to kill me without good cause. I'm here to offer you what you've always worked towards."

"And what is that?" Wyatt asked.

"You might be aware that I've ordered all Demons under my control, which is all of them, to stand down and not attack any mortal, Witch or even the damn Wizards." Damien told them. "That all comes with a reason that I'm sure you'll want to hear."

"Stop being so melodramatic and tell them your idea, Damien."

"Our idea, little brother." Damien corrected. "Don't think I haven't noticed you plodding around in my head helping me form this idea."

"Just tell them." Harry rolled his eyes.

"I'm offering to help you to invade the minds of all Demons and change their core instincts." Damien told them. "To remove their Demonic instincts. In particular the one that stops them from being able to resist killing."

"That's not possible." Azriel frowned.

"Maybe for me, or even for you, or even for the both of us working together but there are a group of people capable of influencing mortals all at once if they have enough power." Damien pointed out. "I helped to fight them off on their last visit and it was the Order of Caete Ruin that helped defeat them in the first place."

"The Avatars cannot influence Demons." Leo frowned.

"But they could if they had a Demon on their side." Damien said simply and saw that settle in their minds. "It will take all of the power of the Elders, Whitelighters, Avatars and yourselves as well as all the magic I can give you to overcome the Demons' natural defences and you'll need a neutral Demonic mind to use as a template."

"And who would that be?" Wyatt asked.

"Veltin." Chris frowned coming to the right conclusion. "He's half mortal and he's already beaten his demonic half's instincts."

"Right." Damien nodded.

"We cannot so simply ally ourselves with the Source of All Evil!" Azriel argued and the other Elders seemed to agree.

"Without your power it won't work." Damien said simply. "I will be summoning the Avatars to the Wastes of Caete Ruin tomorrow and while they are there the wards will be open. Come if you like. The Avatars will most likely agree to the plan."

"What exactly will this do to the Demons?" Melinda spoke up talking directly at Damien.

"They won't stop being Demons but they won't have the desire to kill that they've always had." Damien told them all.

"So they'll all stop killing?" Phoebe asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't be daft." Damien laughed. "At best all you'll get is that some of the Demons who once were slaves to the instincts will realise that they can live in peace whereas before their instincts stopped them from thinking that. They'll have the choice whether to kill or not."

"Basically they'll have the same choice as any human or Witch whether to be Good or Bad." Harry spoke up.

"That's why I've ordered a stand down of all Demons. Their instincts won't allow them to follow my orders for long, that's why I need this to happen soon." Damien explained. "Once that desire is gone from their bodies any who break my laws will be killed."

"That's a rather brutal way to do it." Wyatt pointed out dryly.

Damien laughed. "I'm a Demon."

"No, it's because you don't like Demons." Chris spoke up and it was clearly both of them that spoke.

Damien laughed again before turning to the Elders. "Make your choice. You'll feel the wards around the Temple go down. Obviously giving you my word that I won't harm you is pointless but you'll seriously out power me with the Avatars there as well. Wait for them to arrive and then you can arrive under their protection."

Damien waved his hand in Chris' general direction before shadows erupted from the ground again as he let the trail of magic that he'd left through the wards pull him back out of the School's wards and back into the Temple of Caete Ruin.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**The next day – Wastes of Caete Ruin**

"I'm still not sure this is a good idea, Damien." Veltin told him softly from where he stood on Damien's left as Damien took down the wards around the Wastes, opening them up to anyone that wanted to enter.

Almost instantly a cloud of silver orbs appeared and floated down to Damien's right and took the form of his Soul Twin. "It'll be okay, Veltin." Damien told him. "The Avatars will hear me out before they do this and they'll know they'll have an easier time at killing me later when my powers are linked to theirs. They have nothing to lose in agreeing to see this through."

"He's right." Harry told Veltin. "Relax a little."

"Oh, now he's telling me what to do." Veltin growled out. Damien and Harry both looked at him and Veltin muttered something rude under his breath. "Just get on with it."

"Now who's telling somebody what to do?" Damien laughed before turning back to the front and raising his arms. His power leeched out filling the Wastes with the power of Caete Ruin. The cracked and bleeding Crystal ebbed with the power, thrumming like music to Damien. "Avatars. Tied to the Order of Caete Ruin throughout time, I summon you here to me in peace. Come before me!"

"A little presumptuous wasn't it?" Veltin asked.

"The Avatars listen to the world from outside Space and Time. I had to get their attention and the name Caete Ruin will definitely do that." Damien explained. They didn't have to wait long as six green heads erupted from the ground and spiralled around them a few times, assessing the possibility of a trap even though Damien would have a hard time defending against that many Avatars.

They sunk towards the ground before rippling into their black clothed figures, including their spokesman, Alpha. "Tell us why we shouldn't simply kill you."

"And set yourselves back another few millennia?" Damien asked. "I do not believe you are capable of that any longer."

"What do you mean?" Alpha asked him.

"My power is a third again what it was before you were forced to trap me because you couldn't kill me and not only that but I now have access to the powers of a Whitelighter." Damien told him and raised his hand to prove his point. White orbs surrounded his hand as Harry fed him power across their Soul bond and even though the Avatars would know it was Harry's powers he was accessing it still gave them pause for thought.

"Very well, Damien Caete Ruin." Alpha nodded. "We shall hear you out."

"Before we start I invited the Elders and the Charmed Ones to this meeting." Damien told them. "They seem to have decided that staying away is in their best interest."

"We cannot summon the Charmed Ones here. We are neutral and this could be an elaborate trap." Gamma told Damien simply.

Harry Potter straightened up and raised a hand, drawing on Damien's power just like Damien had drawn on his. "Powers of the Witches rise, course unseen across the skies. Come to us I call you near, come to us and settle here!"

His and Damien's power went straight to Chris and dragged him down into the Underworld even though they felt Paige and Wyatt try to orb him back. Orbs appeared between Damien and the Avatars and he smiled at Damien. "The Elders ordered us not to come."

"I thought they might." Damien nodded. "We need them and your family though and only your family can convince the Elders I'm on the level."

Orbs trailed around Chris and he sighed and fought his family's summoning spell. Damien put his own magic into keeping Damien there and the spell ended. Chris turned to look at the Avatars warily, having only spoken to one of them before. "You may call the Charmed Ones, Christopher Halliwell." Alpha told him. "We may not have the power to vanquish Damien Caete Ruin but we can ensure their protection while here."

Chris nodded and orbed away. Damien waited patiently but they didn't have to wait long as a massive cloud of orbs appeared to their left and Piper, Paige, Phoebe, Leo, Coup, Wyatt and Chris reappeared and looked around taking in the six Avatars, two Demons and one Whitelighter. Damien crossed his arms over his chest. "You'd think the convincing part would be easier than the spell." Damien sighed before turning to Alpha. "Are you ready to hear me out?"

Alpha nodded. "What is it you wished to discuss?"

"You have the ability to overcome the mortals' natural defences and change their natures? To remove their violent natures?" Damien asked and received a nod. "I stopped you from doing it before because I believed the mortals were not ready to be forced."

"And you want us to do it again?" One of the others asked.

"No." Damien shook his head. "I want you to remove our Demonic instincts."

The Avatars were clearly surprised and they turned to look at each other. Damien knew they were talking to each other telepathically but he couldn't interfere. "What you are talking about could very well end the war between Good and Evil."

"It could but to start it will merely remove their predetermined need to be Evil." Damien told them.

"It is a workable idea." Alpha conceded to the surprise of the Witches. "But we do not have the power to intrude through the Demons' natural defensive, nor the knowledge of their instincts in order to change them."

"That's where Veltin and I come in." Damien told them. "I will boost your powers and give you the link into the Demons' minds and Veltin's can give you the mental template to work on."

"What you suggest could..." Alpha started.

"I know." Damien cut him off before Chris could hear what he was about to say. "I understand the risks."

"Risks?" Piper asked.

Alpha narrowed his eyes at Damien who shook his head and turned to Chris. "I will have to provide the telepathic link for the entirety of the Avatars power, and your own and the Elders. That amount of power travelling through my mind could do irreparable damage."

"You're serious?" Wyatt frowned looking to the Avatars.

"Clearly he was well aware of the risks before he suggested this plan." Alpha told them all.

"Now do you believe him?" Chris turned on his parents.

"It would be like the last time." Damien changed the subject smoothly looking to the Charmed Ones. "You will assist the Avatars in casting their spell and feed it with your own power. However Demons are not as easy to target as Mortals. We will need the additional power of the Elders and Whitelighters and only you can convinced them that this is necessary."

"How do we contact you?" Piper asked letting him know they were thinking about it.

"Summon me." Damien told them. "I will not fight it."

"How long do we have?" Phoebe asked him.

"We have to strike when the Demons start having trouble fighting their instincts." Damien told them.

"That's why?" Chris asked.

Damien nodded. "Because they are so frightened of my retribution they will fight their instincts to stay in line but they'll lose that fight. I know that but when we strike their instincts will be in the front of their minds, making it far easier for us to target them."

"So when?" Wyatt asked.

"I can't say for sure." Damien told him. "But I need an answer soon and I need you all to be ready for it when it happens."

"We will assist you in this." Alpha told him. "We have considered it before but it was not an option to us without an ally."

"Do we have anything to lose?" Phoebe asked.

Damien turned to look at her and fully opened his mind to her, inviting her in to his mind. He felt her mind contact his own and found her searching the first memories she found. He wanted to make sure she knew he hid nothing from her.

_Ron raised his wand and Damien's younger self was thrown backwards into the wall and with a crack his arm broke. He fell to the floor as Ron strode forwards and spat on him. The younger boy pushed himself to his feet and with a rather shaky hand levelled his wand at Ron._

_"What are you going to do with that, Potter?" Ron sneered._

_"You're not a powerful Wizard, Harry. Not like we thought." Hermione spoke up with an obnoxious shake of her head. "Didn't you think we'd see through your lies in the end? Your parents obviously died for nothing."_

_With a roar of utter pain the almost seventeen year old lashed out with his wand and magic sending Hermione flying backwards. A mild pain curse struck him from Ron and he fell to the floor. "Mr. Potter!" The sharp voice brought a relieved look to the younger Damien's face but the look vanished as he looked up and saw the look of outrage on Minerva McGonagall's face. "How dare you attack Miss. Granger!"_

Damien sucked in a breath as he gently pushed Phoebe's mind away from his memories, she'd gone pale. He didn't kick her out though and looked directly at her as he spoke. "You have nothing to lose from helping me in this. Only things to gain."

"He's telling the truth." Phoebe told her family with a shudder that they noticed. "I'll tell you later."

_'She saw the memory where Ron Weasley broke my arm in Hogwarts.'_ Damien spoke into Chris' mind and saw his eyes widen.

"I think it's time we go." Paige nodded at Damien begrudgingly before taking Piper's arm in her own. Coup took hold of Phoebe and together they transported out, mostly with orbs.

"We will answer your call, Damien Caete Ruin." Alpha told him and as one the Avatars vanished up into the air in blurs, no showy flashes of power.

Damien glanced at Harry who touched him on the arm before orbing away. Veltin chuckled before shimmering away. Damien followed him back to his lair.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Two weeks later**

Damien lurked in the shadows at the back of the room with an invisible Veltin on his right and Saimarnen on his other side. It had taken three days before the Charmed Ones, Wyatt and Chris had summoned him and he found himself in their manor along with three Elders. They'd agreed to try Damien's plan as long as at no point the Charmed Ones were at risk in Damien's presence. Since then they'd prepared for the spell and waited for the Demons to reach a point where all they could think of was their desire to attack and kill mortals.

That led him to here. Saimarnen had received word from his clan that a few of the lower Demons were going against the orders of their own chiefs and were getting together to attack the mortals. The Upper Level Demons were fighting their instincts better than the lower level ones and they knew of Damien's powers better than the less powerful or influential Demons.

"Idiots." Damien whispered quietly.

"You were planning this." Saimarnen told him simply, being observant yet again.

"Of course." Damien chuckled before stepping out of the shadows with Saimarnen and Veltin at his sides. He summoned and Fire Matrix and threw it at the lower level Demon who had orchestrated this meeting and he exploded with a scream. Two demons summoned fire balls but only one had the courage, or stupidity, to actually throw it. Damien caught it in his hand before throwing it back, killing him with his own fire ball. "Enough of this." Damien ordered. "Return to your Masters and hope the thought of breaking my laws never again enters your minds."

As a group they fled the cave and Damien turned to Veltin with a smirk. "Do it."

Veltin nodded and shimmered away. "I want to know what your plan is." Saimarnen demanded.

"Or what, Saimarnen?" Damien growled.

"There are some things I'd rather die than be accessory to." Saimarnen narrowed his eyes. Damien couldn't have that and flicked his hand, sending the other Demon skidding backwards across the floor. Damien stood over him.

"I'm giving Demons the choice whether to be Evil or not. To be at war with the mortals and Witches because they want to be and not because they have to be." Damien told him before surging into his mind so that Saimarnen couldn't lie to him.

"That's impossible." Saimarnen told him.

"That's where the Elders, Charmed Ones and the Avatars come into it." Damien told him.

"You're working with _them_?" Saimarnen looked disgusted for a moment before he's eyes widened. "You're actually going to manage it?"

"Of course." Damien laughed. "And with every demon down here fighting his instincts like these were today it will be all the easier."

"You've played every Demon in the Underworld?" Saimarnen tried to struggle up but Damien held him down with his Telekinesis, keeping him at a disadvantage. "By the end of week you'll no longer have instincts telling you that you have to be Evil. That you have to fight a pointless war against Good. You'll be free to make a life for yourself."

"Some will still choose to fight Good." Saimarnen pointed out though he didn't look as opposed anymore.

"That's where Demons like you come into it." Damien laughed. "I can hear your thoughts, you'd like a world like I'm trying to create wouldn't you, Saimarnen?"

"It has potential." Saimarnen admitted.

Damien laughed again. "Just watch it, Saimarnen." Damien warned as he released him from his magic. "Try to stop this and it won't be pleasant for you."

"I won't stop it but I may start forming my own plans." Saimarnen told him. "If you don't mind me getting a head start on my opposition."

Damien chuckled before shimmering away.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**That night**

Veltin had alerted the Charmed Ones that the next day would have to be the day they did the spell while Damien sent the Avatars a Telepathic message giving them a time for their meeting. Damien was sitting on his plinth preparing his mind for the next day, building channels and sealing away anything that might damage the task at hand.

He was therefore surprised to feel somebody else's magic against his skin, Wiccan magic. Only Chris' family would have the nerve to summon him like this but he didn't see why they'd need to summon him. His magic automatically came up to block it and he realised with a small jolt that the summoning spell was weak. Still far more powerful than most demons and almost all the Witches he'd met but it was still not the combined power of Chris' family calling him like he expected.

At this discovery he let the spell take him without a fight, letting it transport him up into the surface world and into an unfamiliar apartment in San Francisco. He'd known from Chris himself that the man had his own apartment but he rarely used it since he preferred to be with his family when they were around Demons but since the other Chris had returned he'd spent more and more time in it feeling slightly uncomfortable around so many people. "Did something change?" Damien asked the man leaning against the end of his bed.

"No." Chris sighed. "Were you just going to go through with it tomorrow without even talking to me?"

"It's not that simple, Chris." Damien sighed.

"Don't you dare say 'I'm a Demon, you're a Witch.' In a day that's not going to matter anymore." Chris glared at him.

"I wasn't going to say that." Damien sighed. "But you know that doesn't even matter. Even once you take away the instincts that were thrust onto me it doesn't change what I've done. What about Hogwarts?"

"That doesn't matter to me. It didn't the last time and it doesn't now." Chris almost yelled. "It's what you are now that matters. The _person_ who will risk his own sanity to cast the greatest spell in known history to end a war that's been going on forever."

"Why did you summon me here tonight, Chris?" Damien asked.

Chris sighed and pushed off of the bed, his expression shifting as he moved to become more the 'other' Chris. "To tell you that we love you and that after this is all over we want to be with you."

Damien hung his head slightly but felt hands on his arms and looked up to see Chris standing inches from him. Chris leaned in and kissed him gently and slowly. Damien took a moment before returning the kiss and then breaking away. "I love you too, Chris."

Chris smiled and his hands pushed up under Damien's top and laid flat on his lightly scared stomach.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**The next day**

"Are you ready?" Alpha asked Damien who nodded looking around the blackness that the Avatars had brought him and the others to. The floor was lit white while the walls just weren't there, just a void of space. At his side was Veltin and around them in a smaller circle were Piper, Paige, Phoebe, Chris and Wyatt and then around them in a slightly larger circle were the entire sixteen Avatars and behind them were two dozen Elders and almost fifty Whitelighters including his Soul Twin.

"Why not?" Damien shrugged. "Let's just get this over with."

Alpha nodded and the Avatars joined hands and brought their magic forth, slowly draining power from everyone in the room that was willing to give it which meant everybody. The magic flowed slowly towards Damien being shaped into the massive spell by the Avatars almost silent chanting. As the front edge of the magic hit Damien he felt it burning against his skin though it did no physical damage. He lodged his entire mind into his telepathy and the magic followed suit boosting his ability to spiral outwards without effecting those around him. He guided it out towards every Demon and started the spell working, using his guidance to effect every Demon in the world. A small band of magic linked them all together and as Damien felt the spell take effect he felt the Avatars enter his mind along with Veltin, using him as a template to guide the majority of the magic to do what it was designed for.

As soon as they started the amount of magic going through Damien increased almost a hundred fold and Damien fell to his knees as his body screamed in pain. It didn't help as his body tried to reject the inherent Goodness of the power coming from the Elders and Whitelighters. The only reason it didn't kill him was because Harry was firmly lodging himself within their shared Soul forcing the inherently Good magic to accept Harry's part of their soul.

Even with that bit of help Damien couldn't stop the scream from escaping as the magic tore through his body under the guidance of the Avatars. Damien lost track of what they did with his body, magic and especially his Telepathy and eventually when the magic receded he found himself lying on his back on a bed. He was missing his shirt and his body was feverish. His vision focused on Veltin, Harry and Chris looming above him and he sat up quickly only to be pushed down by Harry.

"Take it easy, Damien." Harry told him.

"What happened?" Damien hissed out worried that they'd failed.

"The spell's working." Veltin promise him. "I went down and looked myself, I don't think the Underworlds ever been that silent. Every Demon is out cold and the Avatars are working on them along with the Elders and Whitelighters boosting them. It'll be over in a little while and it's working."

Damien sagged back onto the bed with a sigh and Harry stood up, placing a hand on Veltin's shoulder. Veltin stood as well and smiled down at Damien before leaving the room. Harry quickly kissed Damien on the forehead before following him out, leaving Damien alone with Chris who laid down at his side.

"I was really worried about you there for a while." Chris told him. "It took Wyatt to hold me back."

Damien smiled sideways at him. "Are your family going to help me deal with the Demon's now?" Damien asked. "It'll take work to reform the Demons into a working community and it's not going to be like anything anybody's ever seen before."

"We wouldn't miss it for anything."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The End


End file.
